Worcester Public Schools opened the 2025-26 academic year on 25 Aug, welcoming thousands of students under new superintendent Brian Allen. Allen, a lifelong Worcester resident who previously served as the district’s deputy superintendent, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, is the first new leader of the state’s second-largest school system in nearly a decade. The district expanded transportation for its roughly 12,000 daily bus riders, adding new routes this week and preparing to deploy 20 electric buses in September. Seven school buildings received summer upgrades, including new windows at Worcester East Middle School and an enlarged parking lot at Roosevelt Elementary, part of a broader push to improve safety, accessibility and learning environments. Allen said his immediate goal is to visit all 46 schools by the end of September and to translate the district’s “vision of a learner” framework into measurable gains in student achievement. Worcester’s reopening coincides with the first day of classes in several other Massachusetts districts, including Lawrence and Springfield, signalling a wider return to classrooms across the Commonwealth.