Millburn Township students head back to class Thursday, Aug. 27, starting a school year that brings a statewide phone ban into every building and a long weekend just 10 days later.

The district's eight schools, spanning elementary campuses through Millburn Middle School and Millburn High School, will welcome students for the 2026-27 year, according to Patch.

What's new this year

The biggest change families will notice on day one: no phones. Under a New Jersey state mandate adopted by the Board of Education at its July 20 meeting, students may not have cell phones or personal electronic devices during any part of the school day.

"We don't have to love it, we just have to implement it," Superintendent Kate Diskin told the board in July when the policy was passed.

Board member Andrew Finkelstein, who chairs the Program Committee, is also developing a districtwide instructional technology framework to accompany the ban. The district is renaming high school "accelerated" classes as "honors" to better reflect their rigor on college applications, another change discussed at the same July 20 session.

By the numbers

Millburn High School enters the year ranked 15th in New Jersey and No. 294 nationally in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 Best High Schools rankings, released Aug. 18 (based on 2023-24 data). The high school offers more than 30 Advanced Placement courses and more than 60 clubs and organizations, according to the district.

Key dates

Schools close Monday, Sept. 7, for Labor Day, giving families a long weekend barely a week and a half into the new year.

The full district calendar and school hours are available at millburn.org.