This morning, students returned to Bulloch County Schools for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. The system currently educates more than 11,000 students across 15 schools and four learning programs. This includes 9 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 middle/high school.
The school district also launched a new hybrid school this year for grades 9 to 12, called Learners Involved in Flexible Education or LIFE. LIFE is for high school students with medical or work hardships who need a nontraditional school schedule and learning options.
Students in Bulloch County represent 24 different nationalities and 18 different languages in our schools. English, Spanish, and Korean are the top three languages. Niche.com ranks Bulloch County Schools as the 19th Most Diverse school district of Georgia's 180 school districts.
And with more than 2,100 employees, BCS is the second largest employer in Bulloch County. About half of those employees are classroom teachers, and the district welcomed more than 180 new employees at its new hire orientation last week.
Superintendent Charles Wilson is looking forward to a productive year. When we caught up with him at Statesboro High School this morning, he was busy making the first day rounds.
"This is my third school this morning, and everything is running smoothly and on track," Wilson said. "Everyone is focused."
Wilson highlighted one major change for the coming year, which is having all three high schools now on a block schedule. This will allow for uniform instructional time across the board, though each school will still offer unique curriculum options.
"It positions us well on our Career Academy and opportunities for workforce development," Wilson said.
For the coming year, Wilson also emphasized the importance of bus-related safety (see more below) and reminded parents to have patience with the staff at their schools. He says a lot of good planning has gone into this year, and our students will certainly benefit from it.
"We're off to a good start," he said.
The calendar for the 2023-2024 school year is available here, and you can find start and end times for all schools, as well as contact information, here. Please note the new web addresses, as schools received new websites over the summer and previous links for your school website may no longer work.
Traffic & Bus Safety
About 5,000 Bulloch students will ride the bus this year along 95 school bus routes. Drivers travel more than 5,891 miles each day and more than 1.3 million miles over the course of the school year. While all 95 routes are currently staffed, substitute bus drivers are still needed. Click here to learn more or apply.
All children, whether they ride a school bus or not, will receive school bus safety training during this first month of school. The safety sessions are taught by the school district's bus drivers.
During the first few weeks of school, expect heavy traffic and traffic delays around our schools. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive on time. Please be mindful of buses picking up and dropping off children. Stop means stop in both directions on most roads when you see a bus with flashing lights and an extended arm.
College students on and around the Georgia Southern campus should be aware that the school district has bus stops at many of the apartment complexes. If you see a school bus with its stop arm extended, STOP MEANS STOP.
Expect bus route delays, as well. Students who miss the bus should never be driven to an alternate bus stop. The bus driver will not be expecting them. Someone should drive the student to school instead. Remember to never chase after a bus. Never approach a bus until it is at its bus stop, completely stopped, its stop arm extended, and its doors open.
School Breakfast & Lunch
All children are eligible to receive free breakfast; however, to receive free or reduced-price meals, families are required to complete an application for the new school year by September 11.
All Students at Langston Chapel Elementary, Langston Chapel Middle, Mattie Lively Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, Portal Elementary, and William James Middle will automatically have free breakfast and free lunch this year because the schools qualify for the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.
For meal payments, BCS suggests using the My School Bucks mobile application to manage your child's school meal account. The app is available to download from the App Store or Google Play.
Breakfast and lunch menus for this year are available here. This year, meals will feature a locally sourced produce item each month.
Attendance
Bulloch County Schools encourages good attendance for all students. This year, BCS encourages students and families to strive for five or fewer unexcused absences. If you do have to be absent, remember to use the Submit An Absence Excuse form on your school’s website when you return to school. Please keep children at home when they are sick.
Please click here for additional details on daily health checks and attendance at Bulloch County Schools.