You know it’s coming. The school supply aisles take over first. Then the porch photos start showing up in your feed — a kid squinting into the sun, backpack twice their size, first-day sign propped at their feet.
Collin County’s about to do that all over again. Here’s what’s actually on the calendar this year, plus the one weekend worth marking down before any of it starts.
The Tax-Free Weekend Everyone Waits For
Mark August 7–9, 2026. That’s this year’s Texas sales tax holiday — Friday through midnight Sunday.
Clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies under $100 each are exempt from state and local sales tax. No forms, no exemption certificate. You just don’t pay it. Works in stores, online, by phone, or mail order, as long as you pay (and either receive it, or it ships) within the window.
It’s not a huge windfall — a little over 8 cents saved on every dollar — but on a fall wardrobe and a supply list for two or three kids, it adds up fast. And it always falls right before the first bell, which is either good planning or a happy accident, depending on who you ask.
When the Bell Actually Rings
Every district in the county sets its own calendar, and this year they’re spread across a few days. Here’s the lineup for the districts we hear about most:
Plano ISD — Tuesday, August 11 — www.pisd.edu
Prosper ISD — Tuesday, August 11 — www.prosper-isd.net
Frisco ISD — Wednesday, August 12 — www.friscoisd.org
McKinney ISD — Thursday, August 13 — www.mckinneyisd.net
Allen ISD — Thursday, August 13 — www.allenisd.org
Wylie ISD — Thursday, August 13 — www.wylieisd.net
Farther out in the county, Celina, Melissa, Anna, Princeton, Farmersville, Lovejoy, and Community ISD all run their own calendars too — worth a quick check on your district’s site if you’re outside the six above.
Double-check your own campus calendar before you plan around any of these — early-release days, meet-the-teacher nights, and supply lists all live there too, and they shift district to district.
The Part That Doesn’t Show Up on a Calendar
What gets me every year isn’t the dates. It’s the same three weeks, every August, and suddenly every street in Collin County has a kid standing on the front porch, waiting for their ride to school.
That’s the thing about a neighborhood — it keeps giving you the same little markers, year after year, and somehow they never get old. New backpack. New grade. Same porch.
Here’s to a good school year. Heads up! See you out there on the first day of school zone traffic.