• Abbott Elementary’s fifth season premiered on October 1, but we're not sure whether it will return for season 6.
  • Quinta Brunson has shared her thoughts on the show’s future.
  • A Shrinking star has nabbed a recurring role, which could point to further casting changes down the road.

A brand new season of Abbott Elementary is officially underway. The series kicked off its fifth season on Wednesday, October 1, which delivered a lot of laughs and heart-warming camaraderie in equal measure. All of your favorite educators were back in action—though some of them were dealing with significant changes with the status quo. Meanwhile, a former student returned to Abbott as a new teacher (hello, Shrinking star, Luke Tennie!), which could prove to be an interesting shakeup in the faculty dynamics.

Needless to say, it feels good to add these characters back into our weekly TV rotation. But what else does the future have in store for these beloved Philadelphians and the show that introduced them all to us? With four seasons under its belt and a fifth one just starting, one can’t help but wonder how many more seasons (if any) this show has left to bestow upon the world. Will there be a sixth season of Abbott on the horizon or will season 5 serve as its swan song?

Here’s everything you need to know about Abbott Elementary season 6:

Is Abbott Elementary coming back for a sixth season?

As it stands, ABC has yet to renew the series for a sixth season. However, don’t let that fact concern you too much, especially considering season 5 has only just begun. There’s still plenty of time for the network to make a renewal announcement in the coming months.

That being said, Quinta Brunson, who both created and stars in Abbott Elementary, hinted in an interview with Bustle earlier this year that the show could be nearing its end sooner rather than later. “I have cast members who would love to pursue other projects, and our show is very time-consuming,” Brunson told the outlet in June 2025. “We shoot about seven months out of the year. That can stop people from being able to do a lot of other things.” So while a sixth season pick-up is still definitely possible, it certainly sounds like Abbott’s days could be numbered.

What will season 6 be about?

Given that season 5 has only just started, it’s impossible to know or even really predict what a possible future season could be about. Obviously, it would most likely revolve around the same set of characters like all the previous seasons before it. But as for what those characters are up to and what challenges they’ll be facing, it’s really anyone’s guess. Maybe Janine and Gregory will be engaged or married. Perhaps Barbara will start thinking about retirement. It’s possible Ava will somehow talk her way into being Superintendent of the school district at that point. Either way, you better believe that if there is a sixth season, I’ll be tuning in to see it.

When will season 6 premiere?

Again, without an official renewal there’s no way to know when the hypothetical premiere date would be. But considering that three out of the five seasons have taken place in the fall, a September or October release would be a relatively safe assumption.

Who will return for season 6?

If the show returns then hopefully all the usual suspects would be coming back as well, including the main stars Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, and William Stanford Davis. As Brunson mentioned, though, it all depends on whether the actors want to continue or would prefer to move on to other endeavors. It’s possible only some of the main cast will return or maybe the series will continue on but introduce a new set of teachers. As of now, only time will tell what the future has in store for this beloved series.