JCPS Calendar 2026-27: Winter Break Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, Last Day of School May 24

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students in Louisville are off Monday, Dec. 21, 2026 through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, and the last day of school is Monday, May 24, 2027, according to the district’s “School Calendar 2026-27” parent and family PDF. Students started Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. Today, Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day, a no-school day for students on the calendar. The next break is Thanksgiving, Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Nov. 27.

When are the JCPS breaks in 2026-27?

The calendar’s “No School for Students” legend lists each break below. The weekday counts and return dates are our reading of the sheet.

Break	Dates	Weekdays off	Students return
Fall break (past)	Mon., Sept. 28 to Fri., Oct. 2, 2026	5	Mon., Oct. 5
Thanksgiving break	Wed., Nov. 25 to Fri., Nov. 27, 2026	3	Mon., Nov. 30
Winter break	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026 to Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	10	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027
Spring break	Mon., March 29 to Fri., April 2, 2027 (plus Fri., March 26)	5, or 6 with March 26	Mon., April 5, 2027

Plan the December weeks on the December 2026 calendar, and compare other districts in our winter break 2026 roundup and Thanksgiving break 2026 roundup.

Which JCPS days are off for students, including the teacher-only days?

The calendar separates “No School for Students” from “Teacher Attendance Only” days. Students are off on both kinds, so this table puts them together with the weekday.

Date	Weekday	What the calendar lists
Sept. 7, 2026	Monday	Labor Day, no school for students
Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, 2026	Monday-Friday	Fall break; Sept. 28 is also a Professional-Development Flex Day
Nov. 2, 2026	Monday	Professional-Development Gold Day, teacher attendance only
Nov. 3, 2026	Tuesday	Election Day, no school for students
Nov. 25-27, 2026	Wednesday-Friday	Thanksgiving break
Dec. 21, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027	Monday-Friday	Winter break
Jan. 18, 2027	Monday	Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 15, 2027	Monday	Professional-Development Gold Day, teacher attendance only (Presidents’ Day)
March 26, 2027	Friday	Professional-Development Flex Day, teacher attendance only
March 29 to April 2, 2027	Monday-Friday	Spring break
April 30, 2027	Friday	Oaks Day, no school for students
May 18, 2027	Tuesday	Election Day, no school for students
May 31, 2027	Monday	Memorial Day

The Professional-Development Flex and Gold days are easy to miss because they sit beside holidays and breaks. Our free printable marks each of them as “PD day, no school” next to the breaks and holidays. For the whole year on paper, use the printable school-year calendar.

The legend also lists family-teacher conferences on Sept. 23 and Feb. 16. The sheet does not make clear whether students attend, so check with your school before you plan around them.

When is the last day of school at JCPS in 2027?

Monday, May 24, 2027 is the last day for students, and teachers finish Tuesday, May 25. The calendar lists make-up days for students on May 25, 26, 27, 28, June 1 and June 2, 2027, and says “Inclement weather will alter the school calendar.” Mark the end of the year on the May 2027 calendar.

Possible make-up day	Weekday
May 25, 2027	Tuesday
May 26, 2027	Wednesday
May 27, 2027	Thursday
May 28, 2027	Friday
June 1, 2027	Tuesday
June 2, 2027	Wednesday

Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, falls between the last two groups. The high school grading period also ends May 24.

How does JCPS 2026-27 compare with 2025-26?

Spring break moves from early April to the end of March. In 2025-26, the district’s calendar listed the first day as Aug. 7, 2025 and the last as May 22, 2026.

Date	2026-27	2025-26
First day for students	Thu., Aug. 6, 2026	Thu., Aug. 7, 2025
Fall break	Sept. 28 to Oct. 2	Sept. 30 to Oct. 3
Thanksgiving break	Nov. 25-27	Nov. 26-28
Winter break	Dec. 21 to Jan. 1	Dec. 22 to Jan. 2
Spring break	March 29 to April 2, 2027	April 6-10, 2026
Oaks Day	Fri., April 30, 2027	May 1, 2026
Last day for students	Mon., May 24, 2027	May 22, 2026

The Louisville Courier Journal, in a July 8, 2026 story by Kathryn Muchnick, and Spectrum News 1 also reported the 2026-27 dates. Spectrum News 1 wrote, “The first day of school is Thursday, Aug. 6 for students, but teachers will begin on Monday, Aug. 3.” Both match the district PDF. See how other districts schedule spring break in our spring break 2027 roundup.

Are the 2027-28 JCPS dates set?

Not in the calendar this story covers. The Louisville Courier Journal reported on Oct. 27, 2026 that draft calendars for 2027-28 and 2028-29 have five fewer instructional days, and that a board vote was expected at its November meeting. It also reported a 2027-28 start of Aug. 5, 2027 and an end of May 19, 2028. Those dates are a proposal, not an adopted calendar, and we have not confirmed them with the district.

What else is on the JCPS calendar?

• Teachers’ first day is Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, and Tuesday, Aug. 4 is a Non-Flex In-Service day, teachers only.
• High school grading periods end Sept. 15, Nov. 5, Dec. 18, Feb. 17, April 8 and May 24.
• Magnet and optional program applications are listed for Nov. 2 to Dec. 18, 2026, so that window is open now.