So long, summer: Fall classes underway in Limestone County, Athens City eyes Aug. 5 start

Published 4:59 am Friday, August 1, 2025

The calendar might declare that there’s still more than a month of summertime left … but for students in Athens and all across Limestone County, the academic calendar begs to differ.

The first week of August (and for many, even the last week of July) marks the start of fall classes for the 2025-2026 school year, bringing a busy rush of activity to classrooms, cafeterias, and hallways that have sleepily awaited students’ return since shuttering for summer in the spring. Limestone County Schools jump-started the new school year a few days earlier than the rest, holding its first fall class day on Thursday.

Students in Athens can relish a few final days of summer break before they’re back in the academic swing of things as well. Tuesday, Aug. 5 marks the first day of classes for Athens City Schools, while Lindsay Lane Christian Academy holds its first class on Thursday, Aug. 7. Athens Bible School will start the new school year off later in the week, meeting for two half-day sessions on both Thursday, Aug. 8 and Friday, Aug. 9 before entering a full-day schedule thereafter.

While the midsummer heat might not quite serve up the kind of seasonal setting that triggers older generations’ sense of back-to-school nostalgia, local students are nevertheless only weeks away from getting their first extracurricular taste of autumn. High School football season officially kicks off across a two-day opening slate of games on both Thursday, Aug. 21 and Friday, Aug. 22, while Labor Day — the academic calendar’s first 2025 holiday — arrives soon after on Monday, Sept. 1.