The Waukee Brief
The backpacks are in the stores and the first day is close. Here's the plain-English rundown every Waukee family needs for the 2026-27 school year: when school starts, how to register in PowerSchool, where the supply lists live, how to shop Iowa's tax-free weekend, the shots your kids need, and how meals work in the Waukee Community School District.
School starts Monday, August 24, 2026 for grades TK through 12 in the Waukee Community School District (preschool begins Aug 31). Register or update returning students through PowerSchool 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 RevTrak. 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 of school later into spring, so treat the end of the year as a moving target. Bookmark the district calendar here: Waukee academic calendars →
The Waukee Community School District holds a districtwide Back-to-School Open House on Thursday, August 20, 2026, a few days before the August 24 first day. It is the easiest way to find your child's classroom or locker, meet the teachers, drop off supplies, and get the first-day questions answered before the rush. Because Waukee runs many buildings across a fast-growing district, individual start and end times for the open house are set building by building, so check your specific school's page for the exact window.
Waukee is unusual for Iowa: it runs two comprehensive high schools (Waukee High, the Warriors, and Waukee Northwest, the Wolves) plus a distinctive set of ninth-grade schools. Which buildings your child attends is set by your home address, not the nearest school. If you are new in town, sort that out first on our Waukee schools guide.
Returning Waukee students register each year through the district's PowerSchool system, while families new to town enroll through Waukee Enrollment Services; registration gates your bus route, meal account, and class assignment. Here's the split:
For returning students, families receive an email from Enrollment Services via PowerSchool (sent from noreplyenrollment@powerschool.com) with step-by-step instructions, sent to the primary contact email on file. It is easy to miss, so check spam if you have not seen it. In PowerSchool you can complete registration, pay fees, and see your student's information. If your family is new to Waukee, start with Enrollment Services, which will also confirm your zoned buildings. Complete it before the first day so everything is in place: Waukee enrollment → or email enrollment@waukeeschools.org.
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. It is a statewide holiday, so it applies in Waukee and across Dallas County. On those two days, clothing and footwear priced under $100 per item are exempt from Iowa's 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 cap on how much you buy, just the $100-per-item limit. Full rules and the exempt-item list are with the state: Iowa sales tax holiday →
Supply lists in Waukee live on your school's page at waukeeschools.org, on TeacherLists, and on in-store boards at Target, Walmart, and Hy-Vee; they're set by grade and building, and often by individual teacher, so there's no single master list for the whole district. The reliable spots:
When in doubt, your specific school and grade page is the source of truth: waukeeschools.org →
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Start and end times in Waukee vary by building, and with elementary, middle, ninth-grade, and two high schools on different bells, there is no single districtwide start time. Rather than guess, pull the exact hours for your student's school from the district or the school's own page. Bus eligibility is based on how far you live from your assigned school, and routes are assigned after you register, so finish registration to see your stop and time: waukeeschools.org →
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 Waukee district runs meal accounts through RevTrak, its online payment portal at waukee.revtrak.net, where you can add money or set up auto-replenish so an account never goes negative; buildings also accept cash or check. SchoolCafe is the district's nutrition app for viewing menus and what your student has been spending. If money is tight, the Free and Reduced-Price Meals application is worth filling out early. And no matter the balance, Waukee serves every student one reimbursable breakfast and lunch a day. We walk through all of it, including the free and reduced application, on our Waukee school lunch guide.
New routines are easier with something fun on the calendar. See what's happening around town on our Waukee events calendar, find a weekend outing in things to do in Waukee, or settle the after-school snack debate at an ice cream spot.
The first day of the 2026-27 school year in the Waukee Community School District is Monday, August 24, 2026, for grades TK through 12. Preschool starts later, on August 31, 2026. Always confirm against the district's official calendar, since weather days can shift dates.
The Waukee Community School District holds a districtwide Back-to-School Open House on Thursday, August 20, 2026, a few days before the August 24 first day. It is the easiest way to find your child's classroom, meet the teacher, and drop off supplies. Confirm building-by-building times on the district calendar and your school's page.
Iowa's sales tax holiday is Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2026, statewide, so it applies in Waukee and the rest of Dallas County. Clothing and footwear priced under $100 per item are exempt from Iowa's sales tax. Important: school supplies, backpacks, and electronics are not included, only clothing and shoes. Online orders placed during the window also qualify.
Returning Waukee students register each year through the district's PowerSchool system. Families receive an email from Enrollment Services via PowerSchool with step-by-step instructions sent to the primary contact email on file. Families new to the district enroll through Waukee Enrollment Services. Complete registration before the first day so bus, meal, and class assignments are ready. Details are at waukeeschools.org or by emailing enrollment@waukeeschools.org.
Supply lists are posted by grade and building on the Waukee Community School District website and on each school's page. Many classrooms also post their lists on TeacherLists, and area stores like Target, Walmart, and Hy-Vee stock local lists in-store in July and August. Check your specific school, since lists differ by grade and teacher.
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 Waukee district uses RevTrak (waukee.revtrak.net) as its online payment portal to add money to a student's meal account, with an auto-replenish option, and buildings also accept cash or check. SchoolCafe is the district's nutrition app for viewing menus and spending. The Free and Reduced-Price Meals application is on the district's Nutrition page. See our Waukee school lunch guide for the full walkthrough.
School lunch & meal accounts · Schools & boundaries · Daycare & preschool · Moving to Waukee · Events calendar