As the school year winds down, there’s something so satisfying about closing things out and setting yourself up for a smooth start next school year. But let’s be real, end of the year classroom clean up can feel like a massive job. Between wrapping up assessments, managing excited students, and trying to keep your sanity intact, classroom clean up can quickly fall to the bottom of your to-do list. The good news? With a little strategy (and student help!), you can tackle your end-of-year clean up like a pro. In no time, you’ll be closing the door and walking into summer knowing that you are already one step ahead for the new year to come.
Start with a Good Clean Out
One of the best ways to start your classroom clean up is to start by cleaning out. It is amazing how quickly classroom supplies pile up. But… if your limited storage space is filled with items you aren’t using, then you don’t have a place to put the items you are using. So, before you start putting supplies away, take a little time to clean out.
Decluttering is key during end of the year classroom clean up. As you’re going through materials, supplies, and decor, create three clear piles: keep, toss, and give away. Be honest with yourself about what you’ll actually use again. If something hasn’t made it off the shelf in the last year or two, it might be time to let it go.
Any items that are broken, dried up, ripped, missing pieces, or just past their prime are ready to be tossed. If you struggle with getting rid of supplies, take time to think about how much use you’ve already gotten out of them.
Items that are gently used but still have life left in them can go in your giveaway pile. Fellow teachers—especially new ones—will be thrilled to scoop up extras like posters, bulletin board sets, puzzles, games, or unused supplies. Make a teacher freebie table in the lounge and see how fast it clears.
Finally, keep anything that you plan to use again that is still in good condition. Make sure that you have a space where these ‘keep’ items will be stored. As you clean and sort, label your storage containers with clear, easy-to-read labels. It might take a few extra minutes now, but it will save you time (and your sanity) when setting up next year.
Don’t Forget Your Digital Clutter
In the 21st century, a good classroom clean up must include your digital files too! While you’re organizing your physical space, take a few minutes to tackle your digital space. Start by going through your desktop, downloads folder, or teaching drive and deleting duplicate files or resources you didn’t end up using. Create clearly labeled folders for important items you’ll want to reuse, like assessments, parent letters, or activity templates. Any files specific to the school year? Store those in a folder for that year so you can easily find them in the future.
Consider renaming files with consistent, easy-to-search titles so future-you isn’t digging through “Untitled (17)” next August. You can also back up important documents to a cloud drive or external storage to keep things safe and accessible, especially if your school computer will get wiped clean during the summer. A tidy digital workspace makes it so much easier to jump back in when the new school year rolls around.
Get Students Involved in the Clean Up Process
One of the best things you can do during your end of the year classroom clean up is to enlist your students’ help. Yes, even your littlest learners can pitch in! Start by creating a list of tasks that are safe and manageable for them. Here are some tasks you might want to include on your list:
- Sort classroom toys and manipulatives
- Put together puzzles and verify all pieces are there and in good shape
- Sort classroom library books
- Check the classroom library books for books that are damaged
- Test markers, glue sticks, and dry-erase markers
Have students help sort through classroom toys and learning tools. They can separate puzzle pieces, sort blocks by type, or match manipulatives. Give them a bin or basket and a challenge to “find all the pieces that go together” or “sort these by color.” You’ll be surprised how seriously they take it. Have a special place where they can put broken, damaged, or supplies that are missing pieces. In the end, you can make the final call on those items and know that everything else is ready to be put away.
Another great job is testing markers, glue sticks, and dry-erase pens. Give students some scrap paper and let them try each marker to see which ones are still good. Have them cap the working ones and toss the dried-up ones into a discard bin. It becomes a fun little task, and it saves you tons of time.
You can even make a “classroom clean up crew” chart to assign rotating jobs during the last week or two of the year. Your students will feel empowered, and you’ll get a ton of help in the process. Just like anything you do, make sure to model what students should do and practice together. After this, you will be able to let them work independently while you work on other end of the year tasks.
Organize as you Put Away
Now that your storage areas are cleaned out and you’ve checked your resources and supplies, it is time to start putting everything away. I know the temptation is real to just start filling those shelves. But don’t. You will regret it when it is time to start prepping for the new year. Instead, take a little extra time to put supplies away in an organized manner. Having a variety of storage containers in different sizes available will help. Add loose items to baskets, bins, or zip-lock bags so they will store neatly on shelves.
Try to keep like materials together. Have a go-to place for school supplies with plenty of room to add supplies brought by next year’s students. Keep center games and activities together in one place, resources for the writing center together, and anchor charts in another. It will make it so much easier for you to find what you are looking for in the future. And… don’t forget to label everything! Not only will this make your classroom clean up effective, but it will be much easier to keep things organized in the future.
Take Inventory While It’s Fresh
As you put everything away, take a few minutes to jot down what supplies you’re running low on or what didn’t survive the school year. Create a quick checklist on a sticky note or in your teacher planner with categories like “Must Buy,” “Nice to Have,” and “Already Have Plenty.” When those summer school supply sales start rolling out, you will be able to grab just what you need, and not fall prey to the $0.10 erasers since you already have a bunch.
Digitize What You Can
If you’re drowning in paper piles by the end of the year, now’s the perfect time to toss what you can and digitize the rest. Go through student data, forms, checklists, or lesson plans and decide what truly needs to be saved—and what can live happily in your digital files. Be sure to make a special pile for anything with student information on it that needs to be shredded. Recycle anything else.
Then, use your phone or a simple scanner app to upload important documents and save them in clearly labeled folders. This way, you won’t be scrambling to find them next year, and your filing cabinet won’t be bursting at the seams. Bonus: no more mystery piles of papers you forgot about.
Before you toss anchor charts or projects during your classroom clean up, take a picture of them. These pictures can be easily stored in your files on the teaching topic or in your lesson plans. It will be so much easier to remember what you want to use again when you can take a look back at what you previously did.
Start Prepping Back-to-School Materials Now
It might sound crazy, but prepping for back-to-school while you’re still in the school mindset can be a huge time-saver. Set aside time to copy or organize your beginning-of-year materials now. Think about those tried-and-true first week of school lessons and activities you always use. Having those copied and ready to grab will make life easier during that very hectic first week of school.
Also, think about resources you know you will be using. Having the first month of morning work ready to go can be a lifesaver. Other resources to think about might include reading logs, lessons you use to teach classroom rules and procedures, or your favorite beginning of the year centers.
And if you don’t think any of your classroom information will change, you can also start preparing your welcome packets. Include items like meet-the-teacher notes, supply lists, and any first-day forms parents need to complete. Once those are printed and prepped, you’ll be able to walk into your classroom in August or September feeling like the work is already done.
Classroom Clean Up with Purpose (and a Little Grace)
End of the year classroom clean up is more than just packing boxes and wiping down shelves—it’s a chance to reflect, reset, and make space (physically and mentally) for the year ahead. By involving your students, prepping a few key materials for back-to-school, and sorting through what to keep, toss, or share, you’re already setting yourself up for success. Adding in small wins like digitizing your paperwork, taking inventory, and labeling all.the.things, you can take this process from a chore to a powerful transition.
And remember—give yourself some grace. Your classroom doesn’t have to be perfectly color-coded or Insta-worthy by the last day. Do what you can, celebrate what you accomplished, and know that every sticky label, scanned form, and sorted tub is a step toward a more intentional start next year.
Save these End of the Year Classroom Clean Up Tips
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