Students and parents excited about the first day of school

JACKSON, TN (WNBJ) - Today was the first day back for students in the public school system.

Parent are picking up their children and buses are running their routes again as the first day of school comes to a close.

For some in Madison County, the excitement surrounding the start of school has been highly anticipated.

“All man, it has been so fun for us because they were so excited. We went out to school shopping the day before and it was like wildness going on everywhere we went so we went and got them some shoes s and they were happy,” said Brandon Stokes, parent of students

Parents at Andrew Jackson Elementary lined the parking this afternoon to pick up their children.

Some kids will also be starting school this week at online academies across the state.

The Tennessee Connections Academy is an online option that some are using as an alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar school options.

The executive director at Connections Academy says they have seen a significant increase in enrollment since its inception.

“We started in 2019, that was our first year. Of course, connections academy has been around since about 2001. This is twenty years for connections academy. That first year we started with 700 kids, and then last year. We saw our enrollment go up over 3,000 and we are continuing to grow,” said Derek Sanborn, Exec. Dir. at Connections Academy.

One parent with connections academy says her children have been attending the online academy for five years and love their experience.

Connections Academy starts its school year Wednesday morning.