'Abbott Elementary' Season 5 recap: What to know before Season 6

Collider's recap of "Abbott Elementary" Season 5 covers a lot of ground, and Season 6 is coming soon. The ABC sitcom returns Oct. 7, with previous seasons on Hulu. Most episodes stand alone, but some storylines build, and Season 5 pushed several forward. Here's the short version of what happened, per Collider.

New faces and a new role for Melissa

Season 5 brought back the main cast and added some new characters. Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) moved up to middle school, shaking up the teacher dynamics. New arrivals included Dominic (Luke Tennie), a new teacher and Barbara's former student; Ms. Alomar (Tyler Perez), a counselor splitting time between schools; and Caleb (Tyler Perez), Jacob's brother, who became a gym teacher. Dominic sought a mentor, and Janine (Quinta Brunson) stepped up. Ms. Alomar kept her distance at first, then got more involved.

Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) became a grandmother. Jacob (Chris Perfetti) took on more responsibilities.

The mall semester

A broken furnace forced the school to relocate to an abandoned mall. Teaching got harder, parents got more concerned, and Ava (Janelle James) had to step up as principal and protect her teachers. The staff eventually learned the school district was stalling repairs by sending construction workers elsewhere. After the teachers exposed this, the school returned to its building in a few weeks.

Jacob's campaign and a school shutdown threat

Jacob ran for the 51st District Board of School Commissioners Liaison position against Tina Schwartz (Kate Peterman), who had a reputation for kicking a child. Ava managed his campaign. Their winning strategy: argue that Jacob's sometimes annoying nature would make him fight for the school. He won narrowly, and Tina ran for school board instead.

Then the district put Abbott on a shutdown list. Thanks to the new furnace, Jacob argued it would be financially irresponsible to close the school, buying another year and more students. Ava picked Gregory (Tyler James Williams) as assistant principal, setting up a new dynamic for Season 6.

Relationships: Ava and O'Shon, Mr. Johnson and Miss Carroll

Ava's relationship with IT worker O'Shon (Matthew Law) grew. In the Valentine's Day episode, she gave up her room full of presents to make him comfortable. Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) sparked a romance with Miss Carroll (Khandi Alexander), a fellow custodian helping clean the mall.

Gregory and Janine: breakup and makeup

Gregory and Janine moved in together and planned a joint vacation, then broke up over conflicting views on finances. Ava and Jacob tried to intervene, unsuccessfully. Mr. Johnson and Barbara had better luck, and the couple got back together. The Season 5 finale hinted Gregory might propose, setting up a possible major development in Season 6.

• Abbott Elementary
• ABC
• Hulu
• Quinta Brunson
• Season 5 recap
• Season 6