Hillsborough County School Calendar 2026-27: Winter Break Dec. 21, Spring Break Mar. 22-26

Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) students are off Monday, Dec. 21, 2026 through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027 for winter break, and Monday through Friday, March 22-26, 2027 for spring break, according to the district’s 2026-2027 Student Academic Calendar. The page is marked “Board Approved 6/17/2025 (Updated 3/24/26).” The last day of school is Friday, May 28, 2027.

This story adds what the calendar leaves for the reader to work out: which no-school days could turn back into school days after a hurricane, what that would do to Thanksgiving week and winter break, and the Tampa-area days off. A free one-page list is further down. You can also keep the dates on our printable school-year calendar for 2026-27.

Which Hillsborough County no-school days could become school days?

The calendar carries a footnote on four of its non-student days: “Tentative Hurricane Make-Up Day(s) if needed: October 12, November 11, November 23-25, January 4.” The district does not say that any of them will be used. The table shows what each one would change.

Possible make-up day	Date in 2026-27	What it would change
Non-student day	Mon., Oct. 12, 2026	Already past; the first grading period ended Fri., Oct. 9
Veterans Day	Wed., Nov. 11, 2026	A midweek day off would become a school day
Fall break	Mon.-Wed., Nov. 23-25, 2026	Thanksgiving week would shrink to Thu.-Fri., Nov. 26-27
Non-student day	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Students would return Mon., Jan. 4 instead of Tue., Jan. 5

The change that matters most to families is Thanksgiving week. The calendar lists Monday, Nov. 23 through Friday, Nov. 27 as fall break and non-student days, with students back on Monday, Nov. 30, but Nov. 23-25 are three of the tentative make-up days. Check before booking travel that cannot be moved. Our Thanksgiving break dates by school district table lists Hillsborough County at Nov. 23-27, the dates on the calendar before any make-up day is used.

HCPS 2026-27 breaks and holidays in one table

Date	What the HCPS calendar says
Mon., Aug. 10, 2026	Students’ first day of school
Mon., Sept. 7, 2026	Labor Day, non-student day
Fri., Oct. 9, 2026	End of 1st grading period
Mon., Oct. 12, 2026	Non-student day (tentative hurricane make-up day)
Wed., Nov. 11, 2026	Veterans Day, non-student day (tentative hurricane make-up day)
Mon.-Fri., Nov. 23-27, 2026	Fall break, non-student days (Nov. 23-25 tentative hurricane make-up days)
Mon., Nov. 30, 2026	Students return to school
Fri., Dec. 18, 2026	End of 2nd grading period and 1st semester
Mon., Dec. 21, 2026 to Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Winter break, non-student days
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Non-student day (tentative hurricane make-up day)
Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	Students return to school
Mon., Jan. 18, 2027	Martin Luther King Jr. Day, non-student day
Fri., Feb. 12, 2027	Florida State Fair, non-student day
Mon., Feb. 15, 2027	Presidents’ Day, non-student day
Mon., March 8, 2027	Strawberry Festival, non-student day
Fri., March 12, 2027	End of 3rd grading period
Mon.-Fri., March 22-26, 2027	Spring break, non-student days
Mon., March 29, 2027	Non-student day
Tue., March 30, 2027	Students return to school
Fri., April 16, 2027	Non-student day
Fri., May 28, 2027	Last day of school (2.5-hour early release)

The district also states that “students will be released early every Monday.” The calendar does not give a time for the weekly early release, so check your school for it.

How long is HCPS winter break 2026, counting weekends?

Counting weekends, our own arithmetic from the district’s dates puts students out for 15 days in a row, from Monday, Dec. 21, 2026 through Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, with school back on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The listed winter break itself ends Friday, Jan. 1; Monday, Jan. 4 is a separate non-student day, and it is also one of the tentative make-up days. If the district used it, students would be out 14 days and return Monday, Jan. 4. Our winter break dates by school district story compares other large districts, and the December 2026 printable calendar shows the weeks.

When is spring break 2027 for Hillsborough County?

Spring break is Monday through Friday, March 22-26, 2027. Monday, March 29 is a non-student day as well, and students return Tuesday, March 30. By our count, that gives students Saturday, March 20 through Monday, March 29, ten days, away from class. The third grading period ends Friday, March 12, ten days before the break starts, and the March 2027 printable calendar is handy for the weeks around it.

What are the Tampa-specific days off: State Fair and Strawberry Festival?

Two local events have their own non-student days. Friday, Feb. 12, 2027 is marked “Florida State Fair/Non-Student Day,” and Monday, Feb. 15 is Presidents’ Day, so students have a four-day weekend from Friday, Feb. 12 through Monday, Feb. 15. The Strawberry Festival day is Monday, March 8, 2027. A footnote says it “changed from 3/1/27 to 3/8/27 to coincide with the dates of the Strawberry Festival,” so check that any copy you printed earlier shows March 8.

Other Florida districts set their breaks differently. The Orange County Public Schools calendar has spring break on March 15-19, 2027, a week earlier than Hillsborough County’s.

Print the HCPS no-school days list

The printable lists every non-student day and break above, flags the tentative hurricane make-up days, and notes the early release on Mondays and on the last day. It uses the district’s dates only. The 2027-28 calendar is posted on the district’s site; we did not confirm its dates, so they are not covered here.