Back-to-School Essentials and Community Information 2026-27
We are so excited to welcome new and returning students to FHSD for the 2026-27 school year! Below you will find information to help families prepare for another great year of learning and growth. Before diving in, we encourage families to join us in celebrating some of the many successes from the previous school year and get excited for all that awaits starting in August. The district is deeply grateful for its community taxpayer support for helping provide an unmatched educational experience to the students of Anderson Township and the Village of Newtown.
The year 2026 is also a special year for our nation, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding. FHSD will continue its celebrations that began in the spring into the new school year. This summer, we have been celebrating the winners of our elementary America 250 Art Challenge, which are featured on this page below. You can stay up to date on all the 250th anniversary festivities and other celebrations that happen within FHSD schools by following our social media pages!
Please be aware that more information will be added to this web page as it becomes available before the start of the school year.
Welcoming Mrs. Suzanna Davis as FHSD's New Superintendent
The 2026-2027 school year comes with added excitement as FHSD welcomes our new superintendent, Mrs. Suzanna Davis! The Board of Education hired Mrs. Davis after an extensive and thoughtful search process that took place from March to early May. Several rounds of interviews were conducted, including extensive community input at each step of the process, and Mrs. Davis stood out among a strong field of candidates.
Officially stepping into her role on August 1, 2026, Mrs. Davis has been heavily involved this summer attending events like the Independence Day Parade and meeting with district administrators and employees to ensure a smooth transition into the new school year.
Suzanna Davis is a student-centered educational leader with more than 20 years of experience leading high-performing school systems through growth and change. She is known for building trust, aligning teams and systems, and maintaining a clear, disciplined focus on student outcomes.
Mrs. Davis most recently served as Senior Director of Student Services for Middletown City Schools. As a member of the superintendent’s cabinet, she leads district-wide efforts across student services, staffing and professional learning. Her leadership has strengthened organizational coherence, aligned resources to strategic priorities and improved student engagement, including a reduction in chronic absenteeism.
Please join us in wishing Mrs. Davis a warm welcome to Forest Hills! You can learn more about her professional background and her selection as superintendent in this article.
First Days of School
The first days of school for students are as follows:
- Kindergarten-6th Grade (Last names M-Z): August 18
- Kindergarten-6th Grade (Last names A-L): August 19
- 7th Grade and 9th Grade: August 18
- All Middle School and High School Students: August 19
- Preschool: Phase-in days are August 24 and 25. Teachers will communicate with families which phase-in day students should attend.
School Supplies
Families can find their school’s supply list in this school supply list web article. Questions about school supplies can be directed to the individual schools.
Elementary Back-to-School Bashes
All FHSD elementary schools are hosting back-to-school bashes on the evening of Tuesday, August 13. Times vary and will be communicated in back-to-school messages from the schools. Be sure to save the date for an opportunity to meet staff, ask questions, turn in paperwork and have some fun to kick off the new school year!
Bus Routes
Families will receive an email notification with their bus route information in August. Route information is delivered to families closer to the start of school due to route adjustments that take place in August because of new students enrolling and other changes. This allows enough time to provide the most detailed information to families. Find more information about bus routes and transportation on the Bus Routes web page.
Changes to Attendance Guidelines
The state of Ohio has made changes to the way school districts track attendance. Please review the Attendance web page to understand the new guidelines. Any questions can be directed to Ali Moore, Director of Student Services.
Summer Facility Projects
FHSD custodial crews and maintenance teams were hard at work all summer long cleaning classrooms, making repairs and completing a wide variety of other projects to get our schools ready to welcome back students and staff in August! In addition to the diligent maintenance tasks, the district has completed or is wrapping up a number of more significant facility projects to protect the community's investment in our buildings and grounds. Nagel and Turpin stadiums will benefit from new turf fields and resurfaced tracks, Mercer and Summit playgrounds both received upgrades, improvements are being completed on Ayer's roof and parking lot, mechanical and vehicle replacements are in the works and more. Please visit our Ongoing Projects webpage to take a look at photos of the work in progress this summer and to learn more about the district's efforts to conduct critical repairs and preventative maintenance as a forward-thinking fiscal practice.
Organize your back-to-school planning with FHSD's Back-to-School At a Glance, a printable resource guide to help track important dates and need-to-know information. It also include a helpful checklist so that you can feel prepared to start the year strong.
Download, print or bookmark the following documents for easier reference throughout the school year:
FHSD uses different systems for organizing and displaying information. We highly recommend logging into the following platforms and completing the suggested activities below to be better prepared for the school year:
- FinalForms - Returning families should log in and make any updates to their information for the 2026-27 school year. This mainly applies to contact information.
- PaySchools - Pay school fees and add money to student lunch accounts. Families can also pay student fees by check. Learn more about this at the Online Payments web page.
- Local Level - Pay for athletics, band, field trips and other pay-to-participate activities. Learn more about this at the Online Payments web page.
- ParentSquare (optional) - FHSD uses ParentSquare as our primary platform for school and district communication. Families will automatically receive messages through the contact information they provided in FinalForms. To improve their ParentSquare experience and customize how they receive messages, families can log in to their automatically created account to set their preferences. Learn how to do this on the ParentSquare web page.
- Free and Reduced Price Family Meals - Families who qualify can apply for free and reduced-price school meals. Families must reapply every school year. If financial circumstances change during the school year, families can apply at any time. Learn more and apply on our Free and Reduced-Price Family Meals web page.
School Safety
Forest Hills is dedicated to maintaining a secure and supportive learning environment, allowing every student to remain concentrated on growing to their fullest potential. In collaboration with emergency management and local law enforcement, the district has a variety of committees, policies and established procedures that help ensure school safety. You can read about FHSD’s efforts and commitment on the Safety web page.
Welcoming New Administrators
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest administrators. You can read more about the newest administrative hires in the district news article Introducing the Newest Members of the FHSD Administrative Team.
Celebrating America 250
FHSD invited all elementary students to compete in an optional art contest to help celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and have their work featured on the district’s summer postcard. Students were encouraged to participate during independent free art time and create pieces related to the theme “America.” FHSD’s Central Office selected one winner from each school and an overall winner. Below are the winning pieces!
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There’s a wilderness of great things happening in the Forest! Give your feed a boost of positivity and stay in the know by following FHSD on social media.
Facebook: @Forest Hills School District
Instagram: @foresthillsschooldistrict
If you have questions about the above information or want more information about back-to-school updates, please call FHSD Central Office at (513) 231-3600 or email contact@foresthills.edu. You may also refer to the list on our Schools web page with each building's contact information for school-specific inquiries.
