Printable Back to School Signs

Document the first day of the school year with these FREE Printable Back to School Signs! Includes all grades from preschool to 12th grade! Your kids may moan & groan when you make them stand on the front porch with a sign, but they’ll love looking back on them years from now!

** Updated yearly! Despite the images below, the download has been updated for the 2024-2025 school year AND 2025-2026 year!

If you’ve been looking for cute first day of school sign ideas but can’t justify spending money on something you’ll use for 10 seconds, then girl, I’ve got you covered!

Skip the messy chalkboard signs, finicky letter boards, and store-bought photo props from Target or Etsy and print off these FREE back to school signs. I’ll be updating this post each year with the new dates, so be sure to come back next year to download your next set (updated with the 2024-2025 & 2025-2026 school years!).

Free Printable Back to School Signs Colorful Pre-K to 12th Grade, 2019-2020

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Ways to Use These These Printable Back to School Signs

The Classic Front Porch: Have the kids stand on the front porch before school holding their first day of school signs and snap a photo. Don’t forget single shots & a group shot for their individual albums!
Teacher Send-Home Photos: If you’re a teacher, you can print off a sign for your class and snap photos to send home with them the first week of school!
Beginning & End of Year Comparison Photos: See how much the kids have grown by using BOTH the first and last day of school signs and taking the photo in the same spot both times. Tip: Take the photo in front of a door or something with an indicator to see how far they’ve grown (i.e. not a blank wall).
Scrapbook Mementos: Once you take the photo, have the kids write what they’re most excited about for this school year on the back of the sign. Then add it to their keepsake box or alongside their first & last day of school photo in their scrapbook!

What You Need to Make Printable Back to School Signs

To make these printable first day of school signs, all you need is a printer and white paper (cardstock is more durable, although not necessary). No fancy crafting skills needed here - just hit print!

** Update: Despite the images below, the download has been updated for both the 2024-2025 school year AND 2025-2026 year!

How to Make Printable Back to School Signs

Step 1: Print

Download the printable back to school signs free PDF file and print on 8.5 x 11" white paper. Be sure to only print the page in the PDF you need, otherwise it will print all 14 grades!

Step 2: Snap your photo!

Have the kids stand on the front porch with the first day of school sign and snap a pic!

Tip: See how much the kids have grown by using BOTH the first and last day of school signs and taking the photo in the same spot both times. Be sure to take the photo in front of a door or something with an indicator to see how far they’ve grown (i.e. not a blank wall).

Step 3: Add to Scrapbook or Memory Box

Once you take the photo, have the kids write what they’re most excited about for this school year on the back of the sign. Then add it to their keepsake box or alongside their photo in their scrapbook!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What size are these Printable Back to School Signs?

These signs are 8.5 x 11” (letter size) so that you can print them off your home printer.

What paper weight is best for these?

I used 65lb. white cardstock to make them more sturdy/indestructible when the kids are holding it, but you can totally use normal computer paper!

What ages are these Printable Back to School Signs for?

These 1st day of school free downloads come in all grades; from preschool to 12th grade. I took off the cute little apple on the high school printable to make them a little less cutesy in hopes your teenager will still let you snap the pic!

If you just want to download the individual first and last day of school signs, simply type the page numbers below into the "Range" field of your printers dialogue box (find the link to download the PDF in the "Materials" box above):

Pg. ⅔: First Day of Pre-K Sign / Last Day of Pre-K Sign
Pg. ⅘: First Day of Preschool Sign / Last Day of Preschool Sign
Pg. 6/7: First Day of Kindergarten Sign / Last Day of Kindergarten Sign
Pg. 8/9: First Day of First Grade Sign / Last Day of 1st Grade Sign
Pg. 10/11: First Day of Second Grade Sign / Last Day of 2nd Grade Sign
Pg. 12/13: First Day of Third Grade Sign / Last Day of 3rd Grade Sign
Pg. 14/15: First Day of Fourth Grade Sign / Last Day of 4th Grade Sign
Pg. 16/17: First Day of Fifth Grade Sign / Last Day of 5th Grade Sign
Pg. 18/19: First Day of Sixth Grade Sign / Last Day of 6th Grade Sign
Pg. 20/21: First Day of Seventh Grade Sign / Last Day of 7th Grade Sign
Pg. 22/23: First Day of Eighth Grade Sign / Last Day of 8th Grade Sign
Pg. 24/25: First Day of Ninth Grade Sign / Last Day of 9th Sign
Pg. 26/27: First Day of Tenth Grade Sign / Last Day of 10th Sign
Pg. 28/29: First Day of Eleventh Grade Sign / Last Day of 11th Sign
Pg. 30/31: First Day of Twelfth Grade Sign / Last Day of 12th Sign

More Back to School Printables

Please note that these files are for personal use only and redistribution or reselling for commercial use is strictly prohibited. If you would like to spread the word about this printable, you are free to do so but (A) must link directly back to this post for download (please do not link directly to the printable download file) and (B) may only use one image from the post. Thank you for your cooperation!