The 2026/27 school year will open in Tel Aviv-Yafo on September 1, 2026, with 76,299 students.
The most noticeable change for secondary-school students and parents is the expansion of the “Education with Attention” initiative to all 37 secondary schools in the city. Under the program, smartphones will be removed from the learning environment using dedicated lockers, alongside training for educational staff, work with parents and controlled use of technology. At nine middle schools, seventh-grade students will also study with Chromebook computers.
At the preschool level, the city will operate 431 municipal preschools, with 4,233 children in the youngest pre-compulsory group, 4,327 in pre-compulsory kindergarten and 4,738 in compulsory kindergarten. In addition, 112 special education preschools will serve around 940 students. The city will also operate 64 daycare centers in municipal buildings and open a new subsidized licensed daycare center in Neve Sharett with three classrooms.
The city will operate 74 elementary schools and 37 secondary schools. A total of 4,305 students will enter first grade, while 4,437 will begin seventh grade.
Two new schools will open during the school year: the Ronit Elkabetz secondary school for science and the arts in Kfar Shalem, and the new state elementary school at Kikar HaMedina, which will include 18 homerooms, six special education classrooms, floor-level terraces and a sports hall available for community use after school hours.
Twenty-four percent of the municipal budget is invested in formal education, with spending of NIS 30,200 per student, 48% of it funded by the municipality. The city is also advancing a support package for teaching staff that includes priority for teachers and preschool teachers in the municipal housing pool, which includes around 550 housing units to be gradually converted through 2030, as well as salary counseling, parking and transportation solutions, scholarships and professional training.
On construction and safety, standard protected spaces have been added to all municipal preschools that previously lacked them, and protection gaps have also been addressed at three special education schools. During the school year, 14 shade projects and 67 development projects in sports courts, schoolyards and entrances will continue.
Source: Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, overview of the opening of the 2026/27 school year.
