CPS Calendar 2026-27: No School Nov. 2-3, Winter Break Dec. 21-Jan. 1 and Spring Break March 22-26

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students have no school on Monday, Nov. 2 or Tuesday, Nov. 3, the next days off on the district’s 2026-27 calendar: Monday is a parent-teacher conference day and Tuesday is the General Election holiday. After that come Thanksgiving on Nov. 26-27, winter vacation from Monday, Dec. 21 through Friday, Jan. 1, and spring vacation from March 22 to 26, 2027.

CPS 2026-27 breaks

Break	Dates	Students return
Thanksgiving holiday	Thu.-Fri., Nov. 26-27, 2026	Monday, Nov. 30
Winter vacation	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026 to Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Tuesday, Jan. 5 (Jan. 4 is a professional development day)
Spring vacation	Mon.-Fri., March 22-26, 2027	Monday, March 29

The school year started Monday, Aug. 24, 2026 for kindergarten through 12th grade and Tuesday, Aug. 25 for pre-K. It ends Friday, June 11, 2027 for K-12 and Thursday, June 10 for pre-K, with 176 student attendance days.

Election Day replaces Veterans Day

The CPS calendar lists Nov. 3 as “General Election observed in lieu of Veterans Day.” Illinois treats the general election as a school holiday, and CPS uses that day off instead of closing for Veterans Day. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, students still stay home, but as a professional development day for staff. Families get Monday, Nov. 2 off as well, for parent-teacher conferences, so many children are home Monday and Tuesday that week.

All days without students, 2026-27

Date	Day	Reason
Sept. 7	Monday	Labor Day
Sept. 25	Friday	Professional development
Oct. 12	Monday	Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Nov. 2	Monday	Parent-teacher conferences
Nov. 3	Tuesday	General Election
Nov. 11	Wednesday	Professional development
Nov. 26-27	Thursday-Friday	Thanksgiving
Dec. 21-Jan. 1	Monday-Friday	Winter vacation
Jan. 4	Monday	Professional development
Jan. 18	Monday	Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 29	Friday	Professional development
Feb. 15	Monday	Presidents’ Day
Feb. 23	Tuesday	Professional development
March 22-26	Monday-Friday	Spring vacation
April 6	Tuesday	Professional development
April 12	Monday	Parent-teacher conferences
May 31	Monday	Memorial Day

Quarters and report cards

Quarter ends	Progress reports	Report cards
Q1: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026	Sept. 24	Picked up at Nov. 2 conferences
Q2: Friday, Jan. 22, 2027	Dec. 11	Jan. 28
Q3: Friday, April 2, 2027	Feb. 26	Picked up at April 12 conferences
Q4: Friday, June 11, 2027	May 6	June 11

Because Labor Day was late this year, the first semester ends after winter vacation, on Jan. 22, rather than before it, Chalkbeat Chicago reported when the calendar was proposed.

Graduation and summer

High school graduations cannot be held before Friday, May 28, 2027, and elementary graduations not before Monday, June 7. Summer programs can start as early as July 6, 2027. June 15-17 and 21-22 are emergency days, added only if snow or other closures push student days below the state minimum.

Our free printable puts every date on one page. For the full year on paper, see our printable school-year calendar, or plan the next breaks on the November 2026 and March 2027 calendars. New York City families can compare the NYC public schools 2026-27 calendar, and our Veterans Day 2026 story lists what else is closed on Nov. 11.