Back to School - Fall 2026

At White Bear Lake Area Schools, providing safe, nurturing learning environments is central to our mission. Safety continues to be a top priority across our district. Our staff members are trained in comprehensive safety protocols, and we regularly practice emergency drills with students to help ensure everyone knows how to respond in a crisis. In addition, we have made important updates to our building security systems to help monitor and respond to potential concerns more effectively.

We are also fortunate to have strong partnerships with our local law enforcement agencies and first responders. This summer, they conducted training exercises in our buildings to support their preparedness and strengthen our shared commitment to safety.

Families can learn more about our districtwide efforts to provide safe and secure learning environments, including the Standard Response Protocol, on the Safety & Security page.

As we look ahead to the start of the school year, there is so much excitement in the air. You will see our staff warmly welcoming students in key areas throughout our schools, and members of our district leadership team will also be on-site during the first week to provide additional support and help ensure a smooth, positive start for everyone.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership. We look forward to a safe and successful school year.

Minor changes to the start and dismissal times for the district's middle schools and White Bear Lake Area High School will take effect for the 2026-27 school year. These changes will help the district's transportation system operate more efficiently and reduce transportation-related delays and disruptions.

The school hours for the 2026-27 school year are:

• Middle schools: 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• White Bear Lake Area High School: 8:20 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

The start and dismissal times for White Bear Lake Area High School - Manitou Campus (formerly the Area Learning Center) will remain 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Elementary school start and dismissal times will also remain unchanged: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Matoska International, and 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at all other elementary schools.

District-level emails are sent from communications@isd624.org. If you are not receiving emails from this account, it may be blocked by your email provider. Find instructions for unblocking communications@isd624.org in different email platforms in the Instructions for Unblocking District Emails.

Families can also set their ParentSquare notifications to Digest to receive one email, one text message and/or one app notification each day with all ParentSquare updates. If you receive notifications by email, you will receive separate daily digest emails from the district and your school if posts are published that day.

• Set your notification method in a web browser:
  • Go to ParentSquare and sign in.
  • Click your name in the upper-right corner and select Manage Account.
  • Click Notification Settings.
  • Select Off, Instant or Digest for each notification type (email, text and app), and for each school or the district if you have more than one listed.