Choose your favorite First Day of School Signs for your back to school photos. We’ve created these free printables for all of the grades, from the First Day of Preschool, First Day of Kindergarten, and on up through the Twelfth Grade so you can get great pictures of all of the kids!
We started using these first day of school signs so that it would be easy to see exactly which year and grade the kids were in. The first few years of school, we just took photos of the kids in front of their school or outside of the house. But then, looking back we realized we couldn’t always tell which year it was!
I am the worst procrastinator, and would never think about printing out the signs until the night before, or worse, the very morning of the first day of school! So, I started making the signs for other families to help them with their own photos.
These first day of school signs are up-to-date for the current school year, and we’ll continue to add on new designs here as we create them. So, you can bookmark this page and come back every year for the same design with the new school year, or you can mix it up and use a new first day of school sign for the kids every year.
These first day of school signs are totally free as my gift to you. Keep reading for access to just the signs.
NOTE. When the school year is coming to an end, you can use our matching last day of school signs.
**New Editable First Day of School Signs**
After getting many requests for editable first day of school signs, I’m so excited that I finally got some created for you!
These are based on the colorful rainbow design we made for last year, but we rearranged things a bit to leave room for custom text.
When you get the PDF, you’ll need to download the file and then edit with any PDF editing software. You can also use an online editing tool like smallpdf.com.
From there, you can find the grade that you need, add a new text field and write whatever you want.
What’s great about this feature is you can reuse these every year and just edit the year! Or, you can also customize the signs to include your child’s name or the school they’ll be attending.
Use the download button below to download the editable PDF signs for free.
2025-2026 Printable First Day of School Signs
We still have our pre-filled signs with the current year that you can easily download and print without having to input any info.
Plus, the current school year is shown right on the sign so that years from now, when you and your kids are looking back on old school photos, you won’t have to try to remember what year the photo was taken.
Colorful First Day of School Signs
We love the bright colors of this sign and all of the options for grades and school milestones (e.g. First Day of High School, Middle School, etc.).
First Day of School Chalkboard Signs
(Updated for 2025-2026)
We think each new milestone in a child’s life should be celebrated. So, I’m including all of the grades that kids go through as they move up ever year, plus those special milestones such as the First Day of Preschool, the First Day of Kindergarten, the First Day of Middle School, and the First Day of High School. And, if anybody is also interested in a first day of college sign, please let me know and I’ll add that on as well!
First Day of School “Rocks” Printable Signs
(Updated for 2025-2026)
Is your kid really excited about moving up a grade or starting school? If so, they’ll love these First Day of School signs. This sign is based on the signs I made for last year’s Last Day of School signs. I re-made them to say “Rocks!” instead of “Rocked!” and updated the dates to reflect the new 2025-2026 school year.
And, again, all grades, plus Kindergarten, Preschool, Middle School, and High School are included.
Black and White First Day of School Signs
Lastly, we have a simple design in plain black and white to save on ink. You could also let the kids color and decorate this sign before your pictures for a more personalized look.
