Everything to Know About Abbott Elementary Season 3

School is back in session, and Abbott Elementary has returned with season 3.

Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and her fellow teachers, including Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) and Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), are teaching their students and learning new lessons along the way at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School.

The mockumentary sitcom and its cast have been the recipients of multiple accolades and nominations, including Brunson’s award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy at the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, making her the first Black woman to win the prize in 42 years.

"Thank you so much. I love making Abbott Elementary so much and I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy, and I say it every time and I just love comedy so much that I am so happy to be able to get this," she shared in her acceptance speech.

Here's everything to know about Abbott Elementary season 3, including the release date, cast, plot, episodes and more news.

Warning: spoilers for seasons 2 and 3 are ahead.

When did Abbott Elementary season 3 release?

Season 3 of Abbott Elementary premiered on February 7, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC with two episodes.

How many episodes are in Abbott Elementary season 3?

Season 3 of Abbott Elementary will have 14 episodes, following 22 episodes in season 2 and 13 episodes in season 1.

Who is in the cast of Abbott Elementary season 3?

The entire main cast from seasons 1 and 2 — Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti and William Stanford Davis — returned to the hallways of Abbott in season 3.

Who are the guest stars on Abbott Elementary season 3?

Abbott Elementary season 3 features a roster of guest stars, including Lana Condor, Keegan-Michael Key, Tatyana Ali, Cree Summer and Karan Soni.

It has not yet been confirmed if previous recurring characters and guest stars, like Ayo Edebiri, Taraji P. Henson and Keyla Monterroso Mejia will be making a comeback, though. Still, Ralph has her eyes on two A-listers she’d like to see appear in the ABC series.

“I really want Denzel [Washington] as my brother,”  she told Variety on the red carpet ahead of the Emmy Awards, and admitted that while she wants the actor “to show up,” she hadn't asked him to make an appearance yet.

Ralph also revealed that she “heard there’s a possibility” of Meryl Streep making a cameo, which gives her hope for Washington too. “I mean, if it can be Meryl, I mean, it can be Denzel!”

How did Abbott Elementary season 2 end?

Season 2 brought ups and downs to the teachers at Abbott, including a fire in the teachers' lounge, a thwarted attempt to turn the school into a charter school, parent-teacher conferences and a memorable award.

The romance between Janine and Gregory, the possibility of which had been building since early in the series, finally culminated with a kiss in season 2. At the time, Gregory was freshly out of a relationship with Amber (Naté Jones), a parent of a student in his class, and Janine was still dating Gregory’s friend Maurice (Vince Staples).

During a sleepover school field trip in the season finale, Gregory admits he likes Janine and has feelings for her, but she is on the fence about jumping into something new. In the end, Janine ultimately decides to focus on herself.

Going into the new season, showrunner Patrick Schumacker told The Wrap that the writers thought long-term about how they planned to move forward after the season 2 finale.

“As to season 3, we definitely had an opportunity, because we were ahead a little bit even at the end of the year, that we were able to start talking about bigger picture ideas before we wrapped the writers' room,” he told the outlet.

Perfetti, who plays history teacher Jacob Hill, told PEOPLE about his conflicting thoughts on the couple.

"I think the way season two ended is the exact way it needed to end, and that there's a door open," he explained. "But, as this year and certainly the year before have taught us, life can change very quickly sometimes."

Has ABC released a first look at Abbott Elementary season 3?

PEOPLE exclusively premiered the first teaser for season 3 in December 2023, which gave fans a peek at what’s in store for the upcoming 14 episodes.

While the teaser doesn’t show much in the way of storylines, it does include classic Abbott antics, like a wide-eyed stare from Gregory and Jacob following a desk toppling down the stairs.

Meanwhile, in January, a trailer for the new season dropped, revealing that principal Ava has changed her approach after going to Harvard over the summer.

As for where Janine and Gregory stand, they give unconvincing answers on how their friendship is following the kiss they shared.

“Oh no, no, no, no, Gregory and I are good,” Janine says while he adds, in his confessional to the camera, “Yeah, we’re fine.”

Where can I watch Abbott Elementary?

Abbott Elementary airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. New episodes are available to watch the next day on Hulu, where seasons 1 and 2 are also available to stream.