Capistrano Unified Calendar 2026-27: Winter Recess Dec. 21-Jan. 1

Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) in California has no school for students from Friday, Dec. 18, 2026 through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, and the last day of school is Thursday, June 3, 2027, according to its “2026-2027 School Calendar.” Winter recess is Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 and spring recess is April 5-9, 2027. The district revised the calendar and the board approved it on April 22, 2026. The story lists every no-school weekday, counts the school days by month and offers a printable school-year calendar.

What changed in the revised Capistrano Unified calendar?

The district’s Calendars page links “2026-27 School Calendar - Revised Board Approved 4/22/2026.” Its footer reads “Board Approved 4/22/26.” That version replaces the one the board approved on Feb. 21, 2024, whose footer read “Board Approved 2/21/24 *Pending outcome of association negotiations.” The revised calendar carries no pending note. Sites that still link the 2024 PDF show the earlier version.

One change is visible in the back-to-school nights. The 2026 revision puts elementary schools on Sept. 1-3, 2026 and high schools on Sept. 8-10, 2026. The 2024 version had them the other way round.

Capistrano Unified no-school days in 2026-27

The district marks holidays, recesses and pupil-free days in its calendar. The table merges them in date order, keeps the district’s wording in quotes and adds the weekday and the number of weekdays off. Students opened the year on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026 (“Opening Day of School”), with a minimum day for elementary and middle school students.

Dates	Weekdays off	What the calendar calls it
Mon., Sept. 7, 2026	1	“Labor Day [Legal Holiday]”
Mon., Nov. 2, 2026	1	“No School - K-12 Pupil-Free Day: Secondary Prof. Dev./ Elementary Parent Conferences”
Wed., Nov. 11, 2026	1	“Veterans Day [Legal Holiday]”
Mon.-Fri., Nov. 23-27, 2026	5	“Fall Recess: for Students and Teachers” (Nov. 23-25) and “Thanksgiving Holidays [Legal and Local Holiday]” (Nov. 26-27)
Fri., Dec. 18, 2026	1	“No School - K-12 Pupil-Free Day: Secondary Teacher Semester Wrap-up”
Mon., Dec. 21, 2026 to Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	10	“Winter Recess: for Students & Teachers”; “Christmas Holiday” Dec. 24-25 and “Holiday To Replace Admission Day [Local Holiday]” Dec. 31 fall inside it
Mon., Jan. 18, 2027	1	“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day [Legal Holiday]”
Fri., Feb. 12, 2027	1	“Lincoln Day [Legal Holiday]”
Mon., Feb. 15, 2027	1	“Washington Day [Legal Holiday]”
Mon.-Fri., April 5-9, 2027	5	“Spring Recess for Students and Teachers”
Mon., May 31, 2027	1	“Memorial Day [Legal Holiday]”

That is 28 weekdays off between opening day and the last day. “Juneteenth” (June 19, 2027, observed Friday, June 18) falls after the last day. Elementary schools also hold minimum-day parent conferences Nov. 3-6, 2026 (“Minimum Day Parent Conferences, Elementary only”), and those days are not counted as days off.

When is Capistrano Unified winter recess 2026?

The calendar lists “Winter Recess: for Students & Teachers (12/21/2026-1/1/2027)”: Monday, Dec. 21 through Friday, Jan. 1, 10 weekdays. Friday, Dec. 18 is a “K-12 Pupil-Free Day” for the secondary teacher semester wrap-up, so students are out from Dec. 18, 11 weekdays in all. “School Resumes (1/4/2027)” and the second semester begins the same day, Monday, Jan. 4.

High school finals come first: “Final Exam Days - High School - Minimum Days (12/15-12/17/2026),” and the calendar prints “End of First Semester - High School 80 days (12/17/2026).” Put the dates on the December 2026 calendar.

What are Capistrano Unified’s Thanksgiving dates?

The whole week is off. “Fall Recess: for Students and Teachers (11/23-11/25/2026)” covers Monday to Wednesday, “Thanksgiving Holidays [Legal and Local Holiday] (11/26-11/27/2026)” covers Thursday and Friday, and “School Resumes (11/30/2026).” That is five weekdays. Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, is a separate day off two weeks earlier.

When is Capistrano Unified spring break 2027?

The district calls it “Spring Recess for Students and Teachers (4/5-4/9/2027)”: Monday to Friday, five weekdays, with “School Resumes (4/12/2027).” See the week on the April 2027 calendar. The calendar has no February recess; the only days off that month are Lincoln Day on Friday, Feb. 12 and Washington Day on Monday, Feb. 15. The district uses the name Washington Day, not Presidents Day.

What is the last day of school at Capistrano Unified?

“Last Day Of School/Minimum Day For All Students/Graduation Ceremonies (6/3/2027)” is Thursday, June 3, 2027, and “Last Day Of School For All Teachers (6/4/2027)” follows on Friday. High school finals run “6/1-6/3/2027” as minimum days. Memorial Day, May 31, comes the week before.

How many school days does Capistrano Unified have each month?

The calendar prints the school days for each month. They total 180, which the district splits into 80 in the first semester and 100 in the second.

Month	School days
August 2026	10
September 2026	21
October 2026	22
November 2026	14
December 2026	13
January 2027	19
February 2027	18
March 2027	23
April 2027	17
May 2027	20
June 2027	3

Print the Capistrano Unified calendar

The free printable school-year calendar puts opening day, the recesses, the holidays, the pupil-free days and the last day on one page, with space for back-to-school night and parent conferences. The district can change dates; check its Calendars page before you book travel, and use the printable school-year calendar for your own planning. Other California districts are in our stories on Long Beach Unified, San Diego Unified and Los Angeles Unified.