A student borrowed a calculator from this Florida high school in 2006. 20 years later, it arrived in the mail

Some borrowed items take a little longer to find their way home. At Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce recently, staff opened an unexpected USPS package to find a vintage TI-83 Plus calculator, marked "LPA123." The return address simply read "Class of 2006." Two decades later, the mystery graduate had finally sent the borrowed math gadget home, as reported by WPBF 25 News on September 25, 2026. 

A borrowed high school relic

Back in the mid-2000s, an unnamed student checked out an essential piece of classroom gear for math class. It was a standard Texas Instruments model marked with the school's inventory stamp. The calculator apparently remained with a member of the Class of 2006 long after graduation. School officials later imagined all the milestones the little device must have weathered, guessing it likely survived "Countless math classes, college exams, career changes, and at least a few dead batteries along the way."

A surprise delivery arrives

The calculator’s long absence finally ended when a parcel arrived at the school. When employees sliced into the packaging, they were stunned by what came out. "Today, USPS delivered what may be the most unexpected package in Lincoln Park Academy history," they noted. Inside was the missing calculator, marked ‘LPA123’ on its casing. Whoever shipped the package made sure to keep their identity hidden while still giving a massive hint. The sender just scrawled "Class of 2026." 

Welcomed home with humor

Instead of getting upset about the 20-year delay, the academy celebrated the return with plenty of laughs. "To our mystery Class of 2006 graduate: thank you for honoring your commitment... just 20 years later." They praised the sender's memory and gave them a humorous nod. Missing school equipment can add up. Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general reported that 77,505 technology devices were marked lost or stolen during the district’s 2021–2022 inventory. Their recorded original purchase prices totaled more than $23 million. About 27% of devices assigned specifically to students were marked missing, compared with 11% of school-based devices overall. However, the report also found flawed inventory practices, meaning some items labeled lost were not necessarily permanently missing.

Proud of their classmate

As for the people and former students, they were in stitches at this update. Kimberly Tomko commented, "Just gotta say, I’m proud of our classmate…whichever one you are!" At the same time, Amanda Rohn Adams noted, "That’s funny and impressive! My son found a calculator that belongs to Mr Applebee when he was getting ready for college, and I keep meaning to drop it by. This was only from either 22-23 SY or 24-25 SY, but I need to returnit  before my son realizes I haven’t yet... ekkk, lol."

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