When a new computer program is introduced at Abbott, Janine is excited to finally help Barbara with something. Barbara is reluctant to accept change and finds herself in a tricky situation. Melissa surprises Jacob.

When the school’s art teacher retires, Janine is thrilled when the replacement ends up being her best friend from college, but things quickly turn sour when Sahar gets in the way of Melissa’s class traditions. Meanwhile, Jacob and Barbara bond over their love for gardening and decide to start a school garden; but when it turns out they don’t know how to successfully grow anything, Gregory secretly gets involved to fix all of their mistakes

A traveling storytelling troupe Jacob used to be in visits Abbott Elementary for a day of education and entertainment. Jacob can’t wait to share this part of his past with his colleagues; but when he realizes they think the performers are corny, Janine does her best to help him embrace his nerdy side. Meanwhile, Melissa struggles with the new normal of her combined second and third grade class.

Janine is thrilled to help introduce a new beverage to the cafeteria, but it ends up causing unexpected consequences for the students, teachers and school plumbing system. Elsewhere, Melissa clashes with her new aide, Ashley, who brings more disruption than help to the classroom.

Jacob secures a visit from a mural arts program for his students but doesn’t agree with their chosen design and attempts to influence their decision. Barbara and Melissa learn parents are petitioning to turn Abbott into a Legendary charter school.

Jacob is shocked when he finds out his colleagues are not invested in his frequent email messages and haven’t even been writing their own replies. Meanwhile, Gregory turns to Janine for help with a former student.

Janine must rethink her lesson plans after her class performs poorly on a practice test, while Jacob struggles to engage a disinterested student. The district sends a new custodian to train under Mr. Johnson.

While supervising the kids making their science fair projects, the teachers' competitive sides come out.

When the staff relates their needs, Principal Ava presents alternative options.

Janine takes it upon herself to fix every problem when she notices a flicking light bulb in the hallway. Gregory asks Barbara for help talking to a parent, which leads him to spend his lunch period in an unexpected way.

Barbara’s candle accidentally starts a small fire in the teacher’s lounge and a counselor suggests that she might not be handling the aftermath well. Meanwhile, Melissa rekindles her childhood dream of being a firefighter.

Gregory is hesitant when kids start hanging out in his classroom at lunch, looking to him for advice; Barbara is shocked to find Tariq is dating the mother of one of her students; Janine and Jacob try to hire an ASL interpreter.

When Barbara's church choir uses the gym for rehearsals, Ava notices tension in the group. Jacob's eagerness for a full social calendar worries Gregory. Melissa and Janine investigate a new substitute.

Ava and Gregory are invited to speak on a panel about public schools. Elsewhere, the other teachers must complete CPR training, and Janine faces challenges securing district approval for her librarian extension program.

Ava Fest is back, and with the help of the teachers, Ava’s set on outdoing last year by any means necessary. After Janine accepts the offer for a full-time position at the district, she just has to check off one last thing to make it official.

Barbara invites Gregory to her family’s Mother’s Day brunch. Jacob scrambles to figure out how to organize a school field trip.

When the neighborhood deli is forced to close to make room for a trendy smoothie place, Melissa, Barbara and Jacob team up to fight the gentrification. Meanwhile, the district asks Ava to give a presentation to fellow principals.

A debate over a controversial book leads Ava to remove it from the library, but some parents push for its return.

The Abbott teachers turn their open house into a car wash to help raise money for the school.

After a negative teacher review, Janine gets a confidence boost when a student gets transferred from Melissa's class into hers. Jacob tries to forge a friendship with an uninterested Gregory.

Janine convinces Ava to start a gifted program at Abbott led by Jacob. However, when some students begin to feel left out, Gregory and Janine put their heads together and come up with a solution. Elsewhere, Barbara pushes a hesitant Melissa to start dating again.

The teachers are appalled after seeing a commercial in support of charter schools criticizing Abbott Elementary. When students begin to transfer schools, Jacob, Ava and Melissa invite the leader of the charter school organization to Abbott and ask him to take down the ad. Elsewhere, Janine and Gregory talk about Janine’s relationship with Tariq .

During a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine’s students aren’t getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.

Two teachers head out on a double date, but when they run into familiar bar patrons, it proves to be an unfortunate distraction. At Ava’s first book club meeting, the group ends up in a debate over who would be the best post-apocalyptic leader.

City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.