Welcome to MASD’s 2025-2026 Back-to-School Center, a resource for families for popular back-to-school topics.
Topics and related links are listed in alphabetical order. The
For Parents page of the District website offers more in-depth, comprehensive information, including resources for specific student needs, handbooks, and parent forms.
The first day of school for all students is Thursday, August 21.
School hours for the 2025-2026 school year can be found on
individual building websites.
Back-to-School Topics
Athletics
Our
Athletics page contains game schedules, participation forms, and important dates for students and athletes. MASD is committed to offering our students a wide variety of athletic opportunities designed to be an extension of the total educational development process of our students.
Attendance
To report your child absent from school, contact the school before the scheduled start of the school day and state the reason for the absence. This procedure enables both the home and school to know the whereabouts of all students. If no call is received at the school, parents/guardians will receive an automated call through the SchoolMessenger system informing them that their student was marked absent for the day. When a student is absent, immediately upon their return, parents/guardians must submit a signed excuse note to the office or an absence excuse card. If a student needs to be excused from school for part of the day for an appointment, a note or email from a parent/guardian must be submitted to the office for prior approval.
Elementary Sneak Peek and Middle/High School Orientations
Our elementary buildings will host kindergarten orientations and student ‘sneak peek’ events. The middle school and high school will also host summer orientations for sixth graders and freshmen. Students in grades 6-12 who are new to the District are welcome and encouraged to attend the summer orientations. These events allow families and students to tour the buildings and learn about their child’s school before the first day. All summer orientation dates are on the
District homepage and
Calendar.
Back-to-School Open House
Back-to-School Open House events will take place at each of our buildings. This is a time for parents and guardians to meet teachers, tour classrooms, and get important information for a successful school year. Open House dates are on the
District homepage and
Calendar.
Before and After School Care
The
Middletown Area Recreational Alliance (MARA) offers families options for before and after school care.
Bus Assignments and Transportation
Bus assignments and route information will be available in PowerSchool and will include your child's bus number, stop location, and pick-up and return times. Information will also be mailed to families. Access to the Parent Portal will be available in early August.
The District requires a parent/guardian to accompany a kindergarten student to and from bus stops and to and from school buildings at all times. A parent/guardian may authorize another responsible adult to accompany, pick up or drop off a kindergarten student at a bus stop by completing the
Responsible Designated Adult for Kindergartners form. A separate form must be completed for each kindergarten student and each time changes are made throughout the school year.
Additional transportation forms and information, including car rider procedures and bus safety tips, are available in the
For Parents section of the website.
Calendar
The
2025-2026 Academic Calendar is a printable calendar showing school days, scheduled school closures and early dismissals, testing dates, and make up days. A similar printable month-by-month wall calendar is also available. Calendars and a list of daily events can be found on the
District homepage.
Children's Health Insurance Program
Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program covers all uninsured kids and teens (up to age 19). Coverage includes doctor visits, dental care, eye care, prescriptions, immunizations, mental health, and much more. For many families, CHIP is free, with no copays or monthly premiums. Families with higher incomes may qualify for low-cost or at-cost CHIP, which still includes the same comprehensive benefits. Families whose incomes fall below CHIP guidelines may be enrolled in Medical Assistance. CHIP enrollment information is available by visiting the Children’s Health Insurance Program website or calling 800-986-KIDS.
Family-School Communication
MASD’s
PowerSchool Parent Portal is the one-stop shop for parent/guardian-school connection and communication. Access to the Parent Portal will be available in early August. Parents/guardians can view student grades, track attendance, complete permission forms, and much more. The PowerSchool Parent Portal also allows you to make real-time changes to your student’s information at any time throughout the year.
Parents/guardians must complete the "Student Verification Process" every school year and update the forms section and information in SchoolMessenger. SchoolMessenger is the District’s communication system that contacts parents/guardians by phone, text, and email with District announcements, emergency messages, and weather-related messages.
More detailed information about PowerSchool and SchoolMessenger, including how to update your information and retrieve portal credentials, can be found on the
For Parents section of the website.
Food Services
MASD understands the importance of student nutrition and partners with the food service management company Metz Culinary Services to provide students with well-balanced meals in accordance with the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act.
Free and Reduced Lunch
All families are encouraged to review the Free and Reduced Lunch income eligibility and apply if they think they may qualify. Families must apply for benefits each year, even if they received them in the past. Information from Free/Reduced Meals Applications may be used to determine eligibility for your student to receive reductions in student activities expenses and/or school-related fees. The District also relies on this data for other programs that benefit our students.
Information about the program, including an application, is available on the
For Parents page of the District’s website.
Free Breakfast for All Students
The District also operates a breakfast program. Thanks to the Pennsylvania Universal Free Lunch Program, all students are eligible for free breakfast, regardless of income.
Lunch Menus and Payment
Lunch menus are on the
District’s homepage and the Food Services page. MASD uses
SchoolCafé as its online meal management platform. Parents can securely make online payments, monitor student lunch account balances, view meal purchases and payments, and set up low-balance email alerts.
RaiderPacks
The Middletown Area School District partners with the Blue Raider Foundation, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, and MidWest Food Bank to provide families with RaiderPacks. The RaiderPacks contain breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options to cover weekend meals. Visit the
RaiderPacks webpage for more information.
Health Services
Our
Health Services page contains a helpful guide on when to keep your child home from school because of illness, as well as information about immunizations, physical and dental exams, and medications in school.
The District hosts medication drop-off events before the start of school. Dates, times, and locations of medicine drop-off events can be found on the District calendar.
New Student Registration and Orientation
If you are new to the Middletown Area School District, we extend a special welcome to Raider Nation! The District's
Student Registration page provides parents and guardians with useful information on the District's student registration procedures.
Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12 moving between schools within the district do not need to complete an enrollment application but do need to update a change of address through SchoolMessenger.
New student orientations are scheduled for both Middletown Area High School and Middletown Area Middle School (MAMS). Our elementary buildings will host kindergarten orientations and sneak peek nights for older students. Dates and times for all new student orientations can be found on the District homepage.
Raider Academy
MASD's goal is for every student to take ownership of their learning, and we know some students learn best in environments other than a traditional school building. MASD's
Raider Academy offers students in grades K-12 a personal and customized virtual learning experience while still being part of the Blue Raider community.
Raider Apparel Spirit Wear
Show your Raider Pride with spirit wear! Raider apparel is conveniently available for purchase online in a variety of designs and styles. Individual buildings, athletic teams, and clubs also offer spirit wear apparel for sale.
Staff Directory
Our
Staff Directory can help you easily connect with your child’s teacher or the right staff person for your needs.
Schedules
Student schedules and class assignments can be accessed through the
PowerSchool Parent Portal. Access to the Parent Portal will be available in early August. When viewing your student’s schedule, this is a great time to update student forms for the 2025-2026 school year.
School Closings and Delays
MASD has a pre-planned
inclement weather day schedule to allow for more consistency and clarity for students, parents, and staff. The plan also allows the District to maintain academic momentum while ensuring student safety.
Whenever there is inclement weather and the District is forced to cancel school, the first day off will always be a traditional snow make-up day, followed by a virtual learning day if the conditions require consecutive days off.
For example, if schools were closed for inclement weather for three days, the first day would be a traditional snow make-up day, and the other two days would be virtual learning days. The District will incorporate this pattern until all make-up days are exhausted. After that point, all days canceled due to inclement weather or other reasons will be virtual learning days.
The District may change the current inclement weather makeup plan in the event there is extreme winter weather.
School Supplies
At the elementary level, all necessary classroom supplies are provided. For middle and high school students, specific requirements will be shared by building principals and/or classroom teachers.
Student Accident Insurance
Middletown Area School District incurs the cost of accident insurance to assist in covering student injuries that occur during District-authorized events such as athletics, field trips, and gym classes. In addition, the District offers families the option of purchasing the following additional accident, life, and dental coverage for students. More information is available on the
Student Insurance page.
Student Handbooks
Elementary and Secondary Student Handbooks, as well as a Student Code of Conduct Handbook, can be found in the
For Parents and
For Students sections of the District website.
Technology
Our middle and high school students are issued iPads intended to be used as learning tools to assist students with their academic requirements and empower them to become organized, self-directed learners.
The iPads and accessories are the property of Middletown Area School District and are distributed to students to complete schoolwork at school and home.
Please review the iPad Guidelines and Responsibilities with your student. Parents/guardians and students are also required to sign a District iPad agreement. These forms can be found on the
For Parents page.