Large public-school systems across the United States opened the 2025-26 academic year on Monday, introducing new leadership, security technology and facility upgrades as hundreds of thousands of students returned to class. In the Las Vegas Valley, the Clark County School District began what will be Superintendent Jhone Ebert’s first full year at the helm. Thousands of pupils arrived amid an early-morning temperature in the upper 90s and a forecast high of 109°F. North Las Vegas police briefly locked down two campuses after a domestic disturbance; the suspect was taken into custody and classes resumed. South Florida’s Broward County Public Schools welcomed roughly 250,000 students. Superintendent Howard Hepburn said last year’s metal-detector bottlenecks have been fixed and every staff member now carries a crisis-alert badge. The district, which expects enrollment to drop by about 8,800 students, is also the first K-12 system to deploy Microsoft’s 365 Copilot AI suite. Neighboring Palm Beach County reported an uneventful first morning of classes. Oakland Unified in California opened under interim Superintendent Dr. Denise Sadler, who is prioritizing fiscal stability and infrastructure repairs after tests found 17 percent of district water outlets exceeded lead safety thresholds. Illinois’ School District U-46 saw 33,000 students return. Three elementary schools dating to the 1800s are beginning their final year before closure, while 38 other campuses extended the school day by 20 minutes under a new labor agreement.