Pierce County Schools Calendar 2026–2027

Pierce County Schools begins with three geographic elementary communities—Blackshear, Midway and Patterson—then combines all 3,501 K–12 students into Pierce County Middle and Pierce County High after fifth grade. The elementary names represent attendance areas, not themed alternatives.

The system also accepts a formal, tuition-based exception to the ordinary residency route. For 2026–27, Pierce publishes a separate nonresident enrollment application listing a $1,937 tuition fee. Applicants identify preferred schools, and admission follows that formal process as a cross-county tuition placement.

That distinction changes how the same school list is read. A resident child starts with the elementary zone attached to the home and then enters the countywide secondary sequence. An approved nonresident enters under a school-year agreement and tuition obligation. Pierce’s three elementary schools are neither open-choice campuses nor three complete K–12 pyramids; they are local entry points into one shared middle-high route, with nonresident attendance governed separately.