When do you go back to school in America? Best Answer - Chosen by Voters well for me i start august 16th(: but at my old school, we started around mid-september. it just depends on what school you go to, but its usually at some time in august in september. very rarely it'll start in late july, like one of my friends had to, but it was a private school. Other Answers (9) For college it depends on what system: semester (18 weeks) or quarter (10 weeks). There are three quarters in a year so some colleges don't start until Sept. In the semester system it starts earlier and ends earlier. The summer break is about the same length for both systems. For high school it depends on the school. Each district has a different calendar. My college starts August 27th and then summer starts on April 27th so next year we have longer summer break. It's usually around the end of August/beginning of September for public schools. Universities and colleges are all different. Some colleges can start at the end of August while some don't start until the end of September. Depends on the place. I know some here who went back yesterday, some go back later this week and next week. I don't go back until August 21. And I also know some who don't go back until early to mid Septemeber.