The bulk of students in the Duluth School District will hit the bus stops tomorrow to begin the first day of classes.
To help ease first-day anxiety, several elementary schools in the district hosted open houses today.
Joel Runck was at Lowell Elementary and tells us what students are expecting.
There are a lot of feelings running through children before the school bells ring for the first time.

"A little nervous, a little excited and a little unhappy," said Amber Fourcault, incoming 4th-grader.

Many others feel the same way.
Soon to be 5th grader, Derek Huston says he's not looking forward to seeing his seasonal vacation slip completely away.

"Summer went too fast," he said. It always does. School means that it's going to get cold-snow is coming...I don't want to go."

But that response didn't sit well with Derek's mother.

"I think that's typical," said Kelly Huston. " He doesn't want to wake up early and get off his relaxing summer schedule but he'll get into things."

Nonetheless, the open house provided the opportunity for students to meet their teachers and for parents to ask questions.

School officials say 530 students will attend Lowell Elementary this year, and it didn't take long before the first homework assignment went out.

"We want the kids to have a good night's sleep," said Monte Wittmann, principal of Lowell Elementary. "And if they know all of this ahead of time that will really help them. So tomorrow they can come on the bus or be driven here and I think they will be off to a good start."

If it makes students feel any better...

"It's the first day for all the teachers and the adults in the building. We're waiting for the little people to come," said Wittmann.

District estimates as of August... place total enrollment at about 94-hundred students city-wide.
Officials say that's about 200 fewer than last year.