The only Abbott Elementary Season 4 recap you need before Season 5 premieres this October

Abbott Elementary is coming back for Season 5 on ABC with more changes awaiting the teachers at the beloved school. The upcoming season of the comedy series will premiere on October 1, 2025, at 8.30 pm ET. Season 4 was jam-packed with new challenges for the teachers, who found themselves at personal and professional crossroads. The new season will see the series move forward with more exciting stories in store.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 will see the cast reprising their roles including Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa, Chris Perfetti as Jacob, and William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson. Luke Tennie of Shrinking fame will also be joining the series in a recurring role. Tennie will portray the role of Dominic, a new teacher at the school.

Emmy-award winning Mockumentary series revolves around the many amusing and heart-warming stories of teachers at Philadelphia Willard R. Abbott Elementary School. As we get ready for Abbott Elementary Season 5, here is a quick recap of what went down in the last season.

Abbott Elementary Season 4 faces unforeseen challenges

At the start of Abbott Elementary Season 4, the audience learns about a new golf course coming up near the area. This becomes a major problem for the students and staff. The teachers decide to take the matters into their own hands and find dirt on the developers.

They stumble upon some code violations that could create problem for the golf course developers. Mellisa and Jacob along with others will take advantage of the situation by getting supplies for the school instead of making the information public. Abbott Elementary has always struggled with essential teaching supplies due to rigid budgets, but thanks to the bribes from the developers, everything changes overnight.

But their happiness is short-lived as the sudden influx of supplies gets the attention of the District. This leads to an audit, which reveals the shady truth, putting everyone’s job in jeopardy. However, the free-spirited principal of the school, Ava, takes the fall and is fired from her job. This becomes a turning point in the story as the teachers start scrabbling to help Ava get her job back.

The other teachers are also seen going through several personal issues including Barbara, who is grappling with the challenges of teaching for a long time and adapting to modern educational practices. As she strives to find her passion again, Barbara will set out on a journey of self-growth.

Gregory takes on the role of interim principal while Janine works towards getting Ava back. Meanwhile Ava becomes a motivational speaker. However, it is hard to imagine Abbott Elementary withour its eccentric principal. While she rejects Janine’s help initially, she would later accept that she does miss her old job.

The District however is unyielding in their ways and refuse to bring back Ava despite pleas from the staff. That said, Ava does find her way back to the school when the parents, students and local businesses come together at a meeting, demanding her return. Ava also finds Crystal and Frank supporting her cause, resulting in reconciliation.

Towards the end of Season 4, Gregory and Janine’s relationship takes a new positive turn when the former finds her interacting with his father, Martin. As a matter of fact, Martin and Gregory’s turbulent relationship also sees signs of healing. The other teachers are seen trying to make peace with the fact that the students will grow up and leave the school. Ava also reunites with O’Shon in the finale.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 will have Ava returning to her Principal duties and Janine aspiring to become a better teacher. While Gregory, who always wanted to be the principal of the school, is back to teaching. It would be interesting to see if he continues to pursue his ambitions in the coming season.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 episode 1 titled ‘Team Building’ will premiere on ABC on October 1, 2025. The synopsis for the episode as per IMDb states,

“The teachers prepare for the upcoming school year with new faces and big changes on the horizon.”

Watch Abbott Elementary on ABC. The episodes will be available on Hulu the next day.

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