Manatee County School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Florida)

Are Manatee County schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

Live status monitored for School District of Manatee County (SDMC), Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), Sarasota County Schools (SCS), and The School District of DeSoto County (DCSD).

How Manatee County School Closures Are Announced

The School District of Manatee County (SDMC) communicates closures and delays through several official channels. The primary source is the district’s official website at manateeschools.net, where closure notices are posted as soon as a decision is made, often accompanied by a homepage emergency-alert banner during active storm events. Families with a student enrolled in the district receive automated phone, text, and email notifications directly from the district, in addition to updates shared through the district’s official social media accounts and Manatee Schools Television (MSTV).

For hurricanes and tropical storms — historically the most common cause of multi-day closures in Manatee County — the district typically announces a decision as early as possible, often a full day or more ahead of an approaching storm, since several schools also serve as official emergency shelters that must be prepared in advance. For more localized weather events such as severe thunderstorms or flash flooding, decisions are usually made by early morning on the day in question. Local television stations are also a key source for fast-moving updates: ABC7 WWSB (MySuncoast) at mysuncoast.com/weather/closings, FOX 13 Tampa Bay (WTVT) at fox13news.com, and WFLA News Channel 8 all carry closure announcements during early-morning newscasts and on their websites.

Weather Risks That Can Affect Manatee County Schools

• Hurricanes and tropical storms: The single biggest closure trigger for Manatee County schools. Bradenton sits directly on Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and an approaching hurricane or tropical storm can prompt multi-day district closures well ahead of landfall, June through November.
• Storm surge and coastal flooding: Because much of Manatee County — including Anna Maria Island, Palmetto, and low-lying parts of Bradenton — sits near sea level along the coast and the Manatee River, even a moderate storm can push significant surge into neighborhoods, sometimes forcing closures or evacuations before a storm’s center arrives.
• Severe thunderstorms and lightning: West Central Florida is one of the most lightning-prone regions in the country. Intense summer afternoon storms can prompt early dismissals or delay outdoor arrival and dismissal procedures.
• Flash flooding: Heavy summer rainfall and slow-moving tropical systems can flood low-lying roads and bus routes faster than storm drains can clear them, occasionally triggering delays even without a named storm.
• Tornadoes: Strong cold fronts moving through West Central Florida in late winter and early spring, as well as tropical systems, can spin up brief but dangerous tornadoes, occasionally prompting shelter-in-place procedures or delayed dismissal.
• Extreme heat: High heat and humidity, especially in August and early September, can raise safety concerns for outdoor athletics and recess, particularly at older schools with limited shaded outdoor space.

Frequently Asked Questions — Manatee County School Closings

How early does the School District of Manatee County announce school closures?

For hurricanes and tropical storms, SDMC typically announces a decision as early as possible — often a day or more in advance — since several Manatee County schools double as official emergency shelters that need time to prepare. For more sudden, localized weather like severe thunderstorms or flash flooding, decisions are usually made by early morning on the day of the potential closure.

Is there a difference between a closure and a delayed start in Manatee County?

Yes. A closure means schools are shut for the entire day, with no in-person classes for students or staff. A delayed start pushes the beginning of the school day back by a set amount of time, usually because of an overnight or early-morning weather event that is expected to improve before students would normally arrive. Manatee County more commonly uses full-day closures for hurricanes and tropical storms rather than delayed starts, since storm tracks and impacts are typically known well in advance.

Do all Manatee County schools close at the same time, or can individual schools close on their own?

Usually, all schools close together, since SDMC is one countywide district and weather-driven closure decisions normally apply to every school in Manatee County at once. In rare cases — such as localized power outages, flooding, or facility damage at a single campus — an individual school may close on its own while the rest of the district stays open. If you don’t see a districtwide closure listed here but your child’s school has notified you of one, check directly with that school.

Which local TV stations report Manatee County school closings?

ABC7 WWSB (MySuncoast), FOX 13 Tampa Bay (WTVT), and WFLA News Channel 8 are the primary local television stations reporting Manatee County school closings. This page automatically monitors all three alongside the official SDMC website, so you get the fastest available detection without checking multiple sources yourself.

How often is this page updated?

Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, or every 5 minutes during active hurricane, tropical storm, or other severe weather alerts. This page also displays the exact time of the last successful check, so you always know how current the information is.

Why does this page also track Hillsborough, Sarasota, and DeSoto county schools?

Many Manatee County families work, commute, or have children enrolled across county lines in the greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota–Bradenton region. This page also monitors Hillsborough County Public Schools (Tampa), Sarasota County Schools, and The School District of DeSoto County (Arcadia) live, alongside SDMC, so families with ties to neighboring counties can check everything in one place.

School District of Manatee County — School Roster

High Schools

• Bayshore High School
• Braden River High School
• Lakewood Ranch High School
• Manatee High School
• Palmetto High School
• Parrish Community High School
• Southeast High School
• Horizons Academy

Middle Schools

• Braden River Middle School
• Buffalo Creek Middle School
• Carlos E. Haile Middle School
• Dr. Mona Jain Middle School
• Martha B. King Middle School
• Electa Arcott Lee Middle School
• Lincoln Memorial Middle School
• R. Dan Nolan Middle School
• W. D. Sugg Middle School

K-8 Schools

• Harvey K-8
• Louise R. Johnson K-8 School of International Studies
• Lake Manatee K-8
• Palm View K-8

Elementary Schools

• Florine J. Abel Elementary School
• Anna Maria Elementary School
• Ballard Elementary School
• William H. Bashaw Elementary School
• Bayshore Elementary School
• B.D. Gullett Elementary School
• Blackburn Elementary School
• Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary School
• Braden River Elementary School
• Freedom Elementary School
• Annie Lucy Williams Elementary School
• Marjorie G. Kinnan Elementary School
• Manatee Elementary School
• Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School
• Jessie P. Miller Elementary School
• Virgil Mills Elementary School
• H. S. Moody Elementary School
• Myakka City Elementary School
• Oneco Elementary School
• Palma Sola Elementary School
• Palmetto Elementary School
• Robert H. Prine Elementary School
• William Monroe Rowlett Elementary School
• Samoset Elementary School
• Sea Breeze Elementary School
• Ida M. Stewart Elementary School
• Tara Elementary School
• James Tillman Elementary School
• Gene Witt Elementary School
• Robert Willis Elementary School

SDMC serves 82 schools district-wide; the roster above reflects traditional and magnet schools confirmed via official and district-sourced listings. Charter, alternative, and specialty programs not listed here can be confirmed at manateeschools.net/page/school-directory.