The Ankeny Brief
The backpacks are in the stores and the first day is close. Here's the plain-English rundown every Ankeny family needs for the 2026-27 school year: when school starts, how to register, where the supply lists live, how to shop Iowa's tax-free weekend, school hours, the shots your kids need, and how meals work.
School starts Monday, August 24, 2026 in the Ankeny Community School District. Register (or update) through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal before then. Iowa's tax-free weekend is Aug 7-8 (clothing and shoes under $100, not supplies). Grab your building's supply list from the district or your school's page, make sure immunizations are current, and set up a meal account in Infinite Campus. Details and links below.
The district publishes the full year, including no-school days, conferences, and breaks, on its official calendar. Snow days can push the last day later, so treat late May as a moving target. Bookmark it here: Ankeny school calendar →
Registration is the thing families most often leave to the last minute, and it gates your bus route, meal account, and class assignment. Here's the split:
In the Infinite Campus Parent Portal you can register all of your children at once, update contacts and health info, and upload required documents right in the portal. If your family is new to town, start with the registrar, who will also confirm your zoned building. Complete it before the first day so everything is in place: Register for school (Ankeny CSD) →
Your elementary, middle, and high school are set by your home address, not the nearest building. Run your address through the district's look-up tool, then see how the North and South feeder systems work, on our Ankeny schools guide.
Iowa's sales tax holiday runs the first Friday and Saturday of August, so in 2026 that's Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8. On those two days, clothing and footwear priced under $100 per item are exempt from Iowa's 6 percent sales tax. Online orders count too, as long as you order during the window.
The holiday covers clothing and shoes only. Backpacks, school supplies, folders, pencils, and electronics are not included. There's no price cap on how much you buy, just the $100-per-item limit. Ankeny already has no local-option sales tax, so on a normal day you pay 6 percent here versus 7 percent in much of the metro. This weekend you skip the state 6 percent on clothing too. More on Ankeny's sales tax →
Supply lists in Ankeny are set by grade and building, and often by individual teacher, so there's no single master list for the whole district. The reliable spots:
If you shop the north-side Target or the Walmart on Delaware, both stock the Ankeny lists on a board near the supplies through July and August. When in doubt, your specific school and grade page is the source of truth: ankenyschools.org →
The Ankeny Brief is a free weekly email for locals: school news, what's happening this week, new places to eat, and the stuff that makes family life here easier. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Ankeny buildings begin supervising students at 7:30 a.m., so there's a window before the bell. Elementary classes start at 7:55 a.m. Middle and high school start times vary by building, and the high schools run a specific bell schedule with a late-start or adjusted day some weeks. Rather than guess, pull the exact times for your student's school here: Ankeny school hours →
Iowa law requires a valid Certificate of Immunization (or an approved medical or religious exemption) for every student to attend. The big checkpoints:
If your child is entering kindergarten, 7th, or 12th grade, don't wait, pediatric appointments fill up fast in August. Shots are available through your pediatrician, pharmacies, and county public health. Confirm the current requirements and forms with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services or your school nurse: Iowa HHS immunizations →
The district sets breakfast and lunch prices each year and runs meal accounts through Infinite Campus, where you can add money and see what your student is buying. If money is tight, the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application is worth filling out early, it can also waive other school fees and unlock program discounts. Prices and the application go up on the district's nutrition page before school starts: Ankeny nutrition services →
Bus eligibility is based on how far you live from your assigned school, and routes are assigned after registration, so finish registering to see your stop and time. For working parents, the district runs a before- and after-school care program at the elementary level, which fills up, so sign up as early as you can. Both live on ankenyschools.org under transportation and before/after school care.
New routines are easier with something fun on the calendar. See what's happening around town on our Ankeny events calendar, find a weekend outing in Ankeny with kids, or settle the after-school snack debate at an ice cream spot.
The first day of the 2026-27 school year in the Ankeny Community School District is Monday, August 24, 2026. The last day is scheduled for May 28, 2027. Always confirm against the district's official calendar, since weather days can shift the end date.
The last day of the 2026-27 Ankeny school year is scheduled for May 28, 2027. Because weather cancellation days are added onto the end of the year, the final day can move later into June. Check the district calendar for the current date.
Iowa's sales tax holiday is Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2026. Clothing and footwear priced under $100 per item are exempt from Iowa's 6 percent sales tax. Important: school supplies, backpacks, and electronics are not included, only clothing and shoes. Online orders placed during the window also qualify.
Returning Ankeny students register each year through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, where you can update information and upload documents for all your children at once. Families new to the district register through the district registrar. Complete registration before the first day so bus, meal, and class assignments are ready.
Yes. Ankeny returning students complete annual online registration in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal before each school year. It updates contacts and health information and confirms enrollment. Families new to the district register through the registrar instead.
Supply lists are posted by grade and building on the Ankeny Community School District website and on each school's page. Many Ankeny classrooms also post their lists on TeacherLists, and area stores like Target, Walmart, and Hy-Vee stock the Ankeny lists in-store in July and August. Check your specific school, since lists differ by grade and teacher.
Ankeny buildings begin supervising students at 7:30 a.m. Elementary classes start at 7:55 a.m. Middle and high school start times vary by building, so check the district's School Hours page for the exact bell schedule at your student's school.
Iowa law requires a valid Certificate of Immunization (or an approved exemption) for every student. Kindergarten entry requires the standard series (DTaP, polio, MMR, hepatitis B, and varicella). Seventh grade adds a Tdap booster and a meningococcal (MenACWY) dose, and twelfth grade requires a second meningococcal dose. Confirm the current requirements with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services or your school nurse.
The Ankeny district posts current breakfast and lunch prices and its Free and Reduced-Price Meal application through its Nutrition Services page each year, with meal accounts managed in Infinite Campus. Apply early in the school year, since eligibility can also unlock other fee waivers.
Schools & boundaries · Moving to Ankeny · With kids · Events calendar