Ahead of Hurricane Helene, Tampa Bay area officials announced that schools would be closing due to growing concerns about the storm.
Below is the most up-to-date information about school closures.
Citrus County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27. Schools will have their originally scheduled half-day on Wednesday, September 25.
DeSoto County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26. Schools are "tentatively" scheduled to reopen on Friday.
Hardee County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26. Schools plan to reopen on Friday, September 27, if the weather permits a safe return.
Hernando County
- All schools and district offices will be closed Thursday, September 26; and Friday, September 27.
- All after-school activities, events, Boys and Girls Club, and The Y will be canceled.
Highlands County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26. Schools will have their originally scheduled two-hour early release on Wednesday, September 25.
Hillsborough County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27.
- All scheduled football games for Friday will be canceled.
Bell Shoals Academy
- School will be closed Wednesday, September 25, and Thursday, September 26
- All school activities will also be canceled
Manatee County
- All schools will be closed Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27.
- All school activities will also be canceled on Thursday.
Pasco County
- All schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27.
Pinellas County
- All public schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27.
- All sports and school activities scheduled for Thursday, September 26, are canceled.
Polk County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday. Schools are scheduled to reopen in the county on Monday, September 30.
Sarasota County
- All public schools will be closed on Thursday, September 26, through Friday, September 27.
Universities and Colleges
- USF
- The University of South Florida will cancel classes beginning on Wednesday, September 25. Classes will resume on Monday, September 30.
- All USF campuses will be closed until at least Friday, September 27.
- Residence halls at the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses will remain open. However, the residence halls at the St. Pete campus are closed.
- Hillsborough Community College
- Hillsborough Community College is closed through the weekend. All classes and activities are canceled.
- University of Tampa
- All classes, activities, events, and non-essential operations will be canceled through Friday, September 27.
- Limited services will be available starting Saturday, September 28, and full operations are expected to resume on Monday, September 30.
- Eckerd College
- All classes are canceled.
- Campus officially closed at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25. No one will be allowed on campus until an “all clear” message is issued.
- St. Petersburg College
- All campuses and offices are closed through Thursday, September 26.
- Scheduled activities are also canceled during these days.
- St. Leo University
- Classes canceled and the following locations closed through Friday, September 27:
- University Campus (33701 County Road 52, St. Leo) — the residential and commuter campus in Pasco County
- Tampa Education Center (1403 N. Howard Ave., Tampa)
- Center for Adult Learning (University Campus and Pasco-Hernando State College locations)
- Classes canceled and the following locations closed through Friday, September 27:
- Florida Southern College
- All classes scheduled on Thursday and Friday will transition to virtual format.
- In-person classes will resume on Monday, September 30.
- Pasco-Hernando State College
- All campuses closed on Thursday.
- All on-campus and remote learning classes have been canceled.
- Polk State College
- All classes will be canceled on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27.
- University of Florida
- All classes will be canceled and offices will be closed on Thursday, September 26.
- All campus classes and activities are expected to resume on Friday, September 27, at 7 a.m.
- Florida State University
- The school's Tallahassee campus is closed from Wednesday, September 25 through Friday, September 27
- Florida A&M University
- All classes are canceled Wednesday, September 25 through Friday, September 27
