Ann Arbor Public Schools Calendar 2026-2027

Ann Arbor Public Schools is a large university-city district with two systems operating at once. The first is a network of neighborhood schools, where a home address generally establishes the student’s ordinary elementary, middle, and high-school pathway. The second is a portfolio of specialty schools and programs that can draw students beyond their assigned route. Understanding Ann Arbor therefore requires more than identifying the nearest building; families also need to know which options require an application, a lottery, or a program-specific commitment.

The Mitchell–Scarlett–Huron pathway illustrates how a specialty program can remain embedded in a neighborhood sequence. Together, those schools provide a PreK–12 International Baccalaureate continuum, allowing students to move from inquiry-centered elementary learning through the Middle Years Programme and into high-school IB study. Community High School follows a different model. It is a small, lottery-admission high school that uses seminars, independent study, and the surrounding city as part of the learning environment. Its culture and schedule differ substantially from the district’s comprehensive high schools.

These choices sit alongside the neighborhood system. Pathways to Success Academic Campus provides a smaller day-and-evening high-school environment with individualized support, career development, internships, and flexible credit-completion options. A2 Virtual+ allows students to complete a full online schedule or combine online courses with classes in a school building. A student may therefore have a conventional feeder path while also considering IB, Community High, Pathways, A2 Virtual+, a magnet building, or another specialized setting.

Ann Arbor offers unusual educational range within one public district. That range comes with a practical responsibility: boundary assignment, transportation, admissions rules, and program continuity must be examined separately. The district becomes easier to navigate when families see it as a collection of connected pathways, each with its own rules, schedule, and culture.