Land O' Lakes and Lutz — your local wire.
Land O' Lakes and Lutz — your local wire.
Latest reporting from the Education desk.
Latest reporting from the Education desk.
Latest reporting from the Education desk.
Education
A new federal grant program called DEPEND could bring between $75,000 and $2.5 million to individual Hillsborough County schools, including Steinbrenner High in Lutz, for cafeteria and nutrition overhauls, with applications opening in mid-September.
Education
More than 120 Steinbrenner High School orchestra students participated in a daylong clinic with nationally recognized clinicians on Aug. 23, kicking off the 2026-2027 season for one of Lutz's flagship arts programs.
Education
Lutz cybersecurity major Alyssa Hayman is among 60 freshmen in the inaugural class of USF's AI & Cyber Living Learning Community at Pinnacle Hall, a residential program tied to the university's Bellini College.
Education
Pinecrest Academy's first-day car-line reroute into a Wesley Chapel neighborhood caused hours-long gridlock, drew more than 100 complaints, and prompted Pasco County to modify CR-54 traffic signals after its traffic operations manager said he was never consulted.
Education
Pasco County Schools' new Pasco One app eliminates the $3.50-per-child transaction fee families paid through MySchoolBucks, potentially saving a three-child household about $42 a month on school meal payments.
Education
Pasco County Schools is building an $80 million medical magnet high school in Wesley Chapel set to open in 2028, offering free enrollment to all Pasco County students including those at Land O' Lakes High and Sunlake High, with nursing programs and simulated surgical labs aimed at preparing students for 30,000 projected medical jobs in the region.
Education
Land O' Lakes High School has reached student parking capacity for the 2026-27 school year, with a 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 fee deadline for approved students and a new first-come, first-served waitlist opening at 2:30 p.m. the same day, while upcoming stadium construction will further reduce available spaces mid-year.
Education
Pasco County Schools' first-ever kindergarten screener identified nearly 150 children with learning needs before the Aug. 13 school start, connecting families at Land O' Lakes-area elementaries to services months earlier than in past years.
Education
Pasco County Schools' "Learning First" screen-time policy takes effect Thursday, Aug. 13, capping daily screen use at 30 minutes for kindergartners, up to 60 minutes for middle schoolers and 90 minutes for high schoolers at Land O' Lakes-area schools.
Education
Pasco County Schools opens two new K-8 campuses Thursday alongside Skybrooke K-8 in Lutz, which earned an "A" rating in its first year, as the district bets that keeping students in one building from kindergarten through 8th grade reduces disruption and boosts outcomes.
Education
Steinbrenner High students in Lutz returned to class Monday as Hillsborough County Public Schools opened the 2026-27 year with its first A grade in over a decade and teacher vacancies cut from nearly 700 to about 200, a drop Superintendent Van Ayres credits to the 2024 millage referendum.
Education
Florida's new Education Commissioner Dr. Henry Mack used his first public appearance at Hillsborough County's back-to-school kickoff to push career and technical education expansion, a priority that aligns with Steinbrenner High School's existing CTE programs as Lutz students head back to class Monday, Aug. 10.
©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier
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©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier
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©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier
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