NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — Wednesday is the first day of school in several districts, New Britain being one of the biggest. The Hardware City is not just going back to school, but also back to school uniforms.

Those first day of school pictures will look a lot alike in New Britain. After a COVID-19 pause, school uniforms are back in elementary and middle schools. Third-grader Noelle Inyang is not a fan, but her mother Welmela Hall is.

“Not really,” Inyang said when asked if she liked school uniforms. “I think they’re kind of boring, but I like this one.”

“It makes my mornings easier because she is a picky dresser, so it’s just easier for her to get ready in the morning,” Hall said.

There used to be even less variety, before the pandemic. Back then, each school had just one color for polo shirts. Now families can choose from a bunch of approved colors.

“My daughters like it because they like to feel like they’re in the same club as the rest of the students,” mother Eve Figueroa said. “Like, ‘Oh my God, we’re twinning!’ They love it.”

It can be tough for some families to afford uniforms, but the district is helping them.

“Our staff members, school administrators, and community partners have been busy making connections with families who may have financial difficulty in obtaining uniforms,” said Superintendent Dr. Tony Gasper in a written statement. “At our annual Back to School Bash, over 500 backpacks and 500 school uniforms were provided free of charge.”

The uniforms are only for elementary and middle schools. New Britain High School does not have a uniform policy, but the school is going back to its pre-pandemic dress code.