MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's hard to believe but summer has come and gone for some Milwaukee students. 

The school year got underway bright and early Monday morning for about 30 schools in Milwaukee.

MPS hosted a red carpet 'Welcome Back' party for students attending the Audubon Technology and Communication Center.

The school is part of the district's early start program.

The program ends the school year in May so students can take classes in two summers school sessions.

Interim Superintendent Doctor Keith Posley says the classroom is a safe place for children that's away from the violence in the city. 

For Milwaukee students on the traditional school calendar, their first day is September 4, the day after Labor Day.

Most students in Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, and Sheboygan also go back to school on the fourth.