Miami-Dade Students Head Back To Class

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Ready, set, get rollin'. Thousands of kids across Miami-Dade rolled out of bed early Monday morning to start the first day of the new school year.

"I rode the bus with 31 students excited about first day of school," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, "One boy actually told me the summer was far too long. He didn't see his girlfriends as often as he wanted to."

No one in the county could be more excited about the new year than the man in charge of their education - Carvalho.

"We are future ready on day one. We have over a thousand buses on the road and 355,000 kids returning to school and 20,000 teachers absolutely energized to get the new year started. We have three new schools opening this morning; one in Miami Gardens, one in Doral, and one in Overtown. We have over 77 new academies, new educational programs, and new technology. We have 62 new medical clinics in Miami-Dade. We are here, we are ready, and we are celebrating this year - the one year where we eliminated every single "F" rated school, "A"s and "B"s higher than the state average, a higher graduation rate, if I don't sound excited I don't know what I could sound like."

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in the country.

Carvalho said over the years they've improved on making high tech tools available to students and teachers alike.

"We've installed over 13,000 interactive boards which replace the white boards. We're bringing the power of the internet into every single classroom, for every single teacher in Miami-Dade. We are putting 160,000 devices - portable computers and surface pads - in the hands of students. Full WiFi covering 50 million square feet space in Miami-Dade. And brand new technology for students, parents and teachers alike."

"They let us take our tablets home so we can do our homework if we don't have computers which is a big opportunity because a lot of kids can't afford a computer at home," said one student.

New this year in the county are magnet programs which focus on subjects like gaming, jazz, biology and business. Several schools are also getting new choice options including culinary, tourism, construction, and broadcasting.

"We're really ready to graduate, apply to colleges," said one senior at Hialeah High School, "Get good grades and get ready for the world."

Also starting this year, the district is rolling out an online tool that allows parents to participate in meetings with their child's teacher without leaving their home or office.

Since the first day of school coincides with the solar eclipse, school officials say they are ready. Parents should not that there will not be an early dismissal and outdoor activities and classes during the eclipse will be moved indoors.