Why You Need This Checklist

The last two weeks of school are a blur. You're finalizing grades, cleaning your classroom, attending end-of-year events, managing students who mentally checked out in April, and trying to remember what your district actually requires you to submit. Every year, teachers forget something — a form, a student record, a key they were supposed to return — and end up dealing with it over the summer.

This checklist won't make the end of the year less hectic, but it will make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Grades and Academic Records

[ ] Finalize all grades. Enter everything into your gradebook system. Don't leave any assignments as "missing" — decide on zeros, incompletes, or exemptions now.
[ ] Write final report card comments. These are the ones parents remember. Be specific about growth and areas for improvement. (If you're stuck, LessonDraft's progress report generator can help you draft comments quickly.)
[ ] Submit report cards by your district deadline. Don't assume the deadline is the last day of school — many districts require them earlier.
[ ] Complete any required progress reports or IEP progress notes. Special education documentation has its own deadlines. Check with your SPED coordinator.
[ ] Print or save copies of final grade reports. Your online system might reset over the summer. Have a backup.
[ ] Flag any students for summer school or retention. If your school has a formal process, make sure you've completed it.
[ ] Pass along relevant student information to next year's teachers. This doesn't mean a gossip session — it means academic levels, IEP/504 summaries, and any critical behavioral or medical notes.

Student Records and Documentation

[ ] Update cumulative folders. Add final report cards, test scores, and any relevant documentation.
[ ] File IEPs, 504 plans, and behavior plans. Make sure everything is current and in the right location (physical or digital).
[ ] Return any student records you borrowed. If you pulled cum folders for conferences, put them back.
[ ] Document any end-of-year incidents. If something happened in the last week, don't assume it can wait until fall. Write it up now.
[ ] Organize assessment data. State test scores, benchmark results, running records — organize them so next year's teacher can actually use them.

Classroom and Materials

[ ] Inventory textbooks and technology. Count what you have, note what's damaged or missing, and follow your school's process for reporting it.
[ ] Collect all loaned materials from students. Chromebooks, calculators, library books, novels, whatever you lent out.
[ ] Clean and organize your classroom library. Weed out damaged books. Reorganize if needed. You'll thank yourself in August.
[ ] Take down bulletin boards and wall displays. Some schools require bare walls by the last day. Even if yours doesn't, it's easier now than in August heat.
[ ] Clean your desk and files. Throw away what you don't need. Be ruthless — if you didn't use it this year, you probably won't use it next year.
[ ] Label storage. If you're boxing things up for summer cleaning, label every box clearly. "Misc. school stuff" is not a label.
[ ] Check your supply situation. Note what you're low on so you can request it early next year or watch for summer sales.

Administrative Tasks

[ ] Turn in your keys, fobs, and ID badges (if required over summer).
[ ] Submit any outstanding purchase orders or reimbursement requests. Budgets often close before the school year does.
[ ] Complete your end-of-year self-evaluation (if required).
[ ] Attend required end-of-year meetings and professional development. Check the calendar — some are scheduled after students leave.
[ ] Update your contact info with the school if anything changed.
[ ] Set up your out-of-office email reply. Parents will email you in July. Give them an alternative contact.
[ ] Back up your digital files. Lesson plans, student data, presentations — save copies to a personal drive or cloud storage. School accounts sometimes get cleared.

Next Year Prep (Do It Now, Thank Yourself Later)

[ ] Write yourself a "start of year" note. What worked this year? What would you change? What do you wish you'd had ready on day one? You will not remember in August.
[ ] Save your best lesson plans and resources. Flag the ones worth repeating. Note what you'd tweak.
[ ] Request room changes, supply orders, or schedule preferences before the building empties out. Decisions get made over the summer — be part of them.
[ ] Set one professional development goal for summer. Not a whole list. One thing you want to get better at, and one concrete step you'll take (a book, a course, an online tool to learn).

Personal

[ ] Actually take a break. You earned it. The classroom will still be there in August.
[ ] Set a boundary for school email. Pick a date to stop checking it and stick to it.

Final Thought

The end of the year is exhausting, but it's also the part that determines how smoothly next year starts. An hour of organization now saves a full day of scrambling in August. Print this list, check things off as you go, and walk out of your building knowing you're done — actually done.

End-of-Year Teacher Checklist: Everything You Need to Close Out the Year