HCPSS Calendar 2026-27: Howard County Winter Break, Spring Break and Last Day

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in Maryland has winter break from Dec. 24, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027, and spring break from Mar. 22 to Mar. 29, 2027, by its 2026-2027 School Year Key Dates. The last scheduled day is Tuesday, June 8, 2027, a 3-hour early dismissal. This is Howard County, Maryland, whose seat is Ellicott City.

The dates come from the system’s 2026-2027 Key Dates PDF and its Dates Only calendar page. A July 2026 HCPSS News post, calendar adjustments, reports that the Howard County Board of Education approved changes on June 25.

Howard County school breaks in 2026-27

Weekdays off are our count from the calendar’s dates. Thanksgiving week is the odd one: students have no full school day in it.

Break	No school for students	Weekdays off	Students return
Thanksgiving	Wed., Nov. 25 to Fri., Nov. 27, 2026 (Nov. 23 and 24 are early dismissals)	3	Mon., Nov. 30, 2026
Winter break	Thu., Dec. 24, 2026 to Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	7	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027
Spring break	Mon., Mar. 22 to Mon., Mar. 29, 2027	6	Tue., Mar. 30, 2027

Return days are inferred: the calendar lists no closure on Nov. 30, Jan. 4 or Mar. 30. Compare Maryland neighbors in our Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County calendar stories.

What does Howard County Thanksgiving week 2026 look like?

The calendar has schools close 3 hours early on Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24. On Nov. 23 it lists elementary and middle school parent/teacher conferences and a high school staff professional day; Nov. 24 is parent/teacher conferences. Wednesday, Nov. 25 is “Schools closed for students – Parent/Teacher Conferences”, and Nov. 26-27 are “Schools and offices closed*”. Put the week on the December 2026 printable calendar pages when you plan childcare around it.

Howard County winter break 2026

The calendar line reads “12/24/2026 – 01/01/2027 | Schools closed* – Winter Break (Offices Closed 12/24, 12/25, 01/01)”. That is seven weekdays, Thursday, Dec. 24 to Friday, Jan. 1. The calendar lists no closure on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, the first weekday after the break. For other districts, see the winter break 2026 roundup.

Howard County spring break 2027

The calendar lists “03/22 – 03/29/2027 | Schools closed* – Spring Break (Offices Closed 03/26, 03/29)”. Students are out for six weekdays, Monday, Mar. 22 to Monday, Mar. 29. The asterisk appears on the calendar’s closure lines; this story uses it only as the calendar’s own mark.

Every Howard County day off and early dismissal

Date	Weekday	What the calendar lists
Aug. 13, 2026	Thursday	First day for staff
Aug. 24, 2026	Monday	First day for K-12 students
Aug. 27, 2026	Thursday	First day for pre-K and Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) students
Sept. 7, 2026	Monday	Schools and offices closed (Labor Day)
Sept. 21, 2026	Monday	Schools and offices closed
Sept. 30, 2026	Wednesday	Schools close 3 hours early
Oct. 16, 2026	Friday	Schools closed for students, Staff Workday
Oct. 28, 2026	Wednesday	Schools closed for students, Staff Professional Learning/Workday
Nov. 3, 2026	Tuesday	Schools and offices closed (Election Day)
Nov. 23, 2026	Monday	Schools close 3 hours early
Nov. 24, 2026	Tuesday	Schools close 3 hours early
Nov. 25, 2026	Wednesday	Schools closed for students, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Nov. 26-27, 2026	Thursday-Friday	Schools and offices closed (Thanksgiving)
Dec. 9, 2026	Wednesday	Schools close 3 hours early
Dec. 24, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027	Thursday-Friday	Winter break
Jan. 18, 2027	Monday	Schools and offices closed (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
Jan. 19, 2027	Tuesday	Schools closed for students, Staff Professional Workday
Feb. 3, 2027	Wednesday	Schools closed for students, Staff Professional Learning Day
Feb. 11-12, 2027	Thursday-Friday	Elementary schools close 3 hours early, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Feb. 15, 2027	Monday	Schools and offices closed (Presidents’ Day)
Mar. 9, 2027	Tuesday	Schools closed for students, Staff Professional Learning/Workday
Mar. 22-29, 2027	Monday-Monday	Spring break
Apr. 8, 2027	Thursday	Schools close 3 hours early
May 17, 2027	Monday	Schools close 3 hours early
May 31, 2027	Monday	Schools and offices closed (Memorial Day)
June 2, 2027	Wednesday	Schools close 3 hours early
June 7, 2027	Monday	Schools close 3 hours early; may become a full day
June 8, 2027	Tuesday	Last scheduled day; schools close 3 hours early
June 18, 2027	Friday	Schools and offices closed
July 5, 2027	Monday	Schools and offices closed

Days the calendar marks with an asterisk are Labor Day, Election Day, Thanksgiving, winter break, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, spring break and Memorial Day. The calendar does not name a holiday for Sept. 21 or June 18. The Sept. 30, Nov. 23-24, Dec. 9, Apr. 8, May 17 and June 2, 7 and 8 early dismissals are 3 hours, with no half-day for pre-K/RECC.

When is the last day of school in Howard County in 2027?

Tuesday, June 8, 2027 is the “Last Scheduled Day”, a 3-hour early dismissal. The calendar adds: “If inclement weather days are used, may become a full day”. Monday, June 7 carries the same note.

How do inclement weather days work in the HCPSS calendar?

The calendar lists “06/09 - 06/16/2027 | May be used as inclement weather days”: June 9-11 and June 14-16, six weekdays. The July 2026 HCPSS News post says three additional days, June 14-16, were added, for a total of six inclement weather days. If all six were used, the year would run to Wednesday, June 16, our count. The post also says Jan. 14-15, 2027 are now full days for all students, and Feb. 11-12 are now early dismissals for elementary schools for parent-teacher conferences. The printable lists June 9-16 as unconfirmed.

When does the 2027-28 HCPSS school year start?

Not yet posted. As of Nov. 4, 2026, the HCPSS calendar page showed no 2027-28 calendar.

When does the Howard County school year start in 2026-27?

K-12 students start Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, and pre-K/RECC students Thursday, Aug. 27. The free printable puts the system’s dates on one page, and our printable school-year calendar page has more layouts.