Sherman ISD Back to School Bash Offers Free Backpacks, Supplies

Sherman ISD opened Sherman High School on Saturday, Aug. 1, for its annual Back to School Bash, offering free backpacks and school supplies to students and families from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the district's back-to-school webpage. The same webpage lists free haircuts and community resource tables as part of the event, held about a week and a half before Sherman ISD's first day of classes on Aug. 11.

The district's back-to-school page names Cook Children's as a partner for the Aug. 1 bash. Posts on Sherman ISD's Facebook page also thanked the Boys & Girls Club of Sherman among the organizations that helped put on the event. One of those posts described the goal as helping families "start the school year prepared" and giving students "a strong start."

Ahead of the bash, Sherman ISD posted on Facebook that 1,000 free backpacks and sets of school supplies had been donated or made available for the giveaway, crediting Cook Children's among the contributors. That post does not say how many of the 1,000 were claimed by the time the event closed at 1 p.m. In a follow-up post published after Saturday, the district said hundreds of students took part in the bash, again naming Cook Children's and the Boys & Girls Club of Sherman as partners.

Supply help from Sherman ISD is not limited to Saturday's event. The district's back-to-school webpage says donated school supplies remain available for students and families in need through Communities in Schools coordinators stationed at individual campuses throughout the year.

The bash is one piece of a longer back-to-school checklist posted on the Sherman ISD website. That page also covers student registration, the 2026-27 academic calendar, grade-by-grade supply lists, immunization requirements and bus route information, all pointing toward the Aug. 11 start date.

School districts nearby have posted their own start-of-year plans. Gainesville ISD's official calendar lists a staff and family Back to School Bash for Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Gainesville High School cafeteria. Denison ISD's back-to-school webpage directs families to campus-specific supply lists for the 2026-27 year, and the district's Head Start program page says school supplies are provided for students enrolled in that program.