Polk County Public Schools Calendar 2026-27: Fall Break, Winter Break and Spring Break

Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) in Florida has no school for students from Monday, Nov. 23 to Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, the Thanksgiving week the district calls “Fall Break.” Winter break begins Monday, Dec. 21, students return Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2027, spring break is March 15-19, 2027, and the last day is Thursday, May 27, 2027, by the district’s 2026-2027 instructional calendar. The next day off is Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.

The district’s “Printable School Calendars” page lists the 2026-2027 calendar as “Approved 10/22/2024 / Revised 2/24/2026.” The PDF itself is still titled tentative and says “Dates are subject to change.” Check both before booking travel.

Polk County school breaks in 2026-27

Weekdays off are our count from the district’s dates.

Break	No school for students	Weekdays off	Students return
Fall break (Thanksgiving week)	Mon., Nov. 23 to Fri., Nov. 27, 2026	5	Mon., Nov. 30, 2026
Winter break	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026 to Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	12	Wed., Jan. 6, 2027
Spring break	Mon., March 15 to Fri., March 19, 2027	5	Mon., March 22, 2027

The district lists Dec. 21 as the start of winter break and Jan. 1 as a New Year’s Day holiday. Jan. 4 and 5 are a teacher workday and staff development, so the 12 weekdays run from Dec. 21 through Jan. 5. Return days are read from the calendar, which marks no closure on those dates. Compare other districts in our Hillsborough County calendar story and the spring break 2027 roundup.

Polk County school days off in 2026-27

Date	Weekday	What the district lists
Aug. 11, 2026	Tuesday	First day of school
Sept. 7, 2026	Monday	Labor Day
Oct. 16, 2026	Friday	No school for students (teacher staff development)
Nov. 11, 2026	Wednesday	Veterans Day
Nov. 23-27, 2026	Monday-Friday	Fall break
Dec. 21, 2026	Monday	Winter break begins
Jan. 1, 2027	Friday	New Year’s Day
Jan. 4-5, 2027	Monday-Tuesday	No school for students (teacher workday; staff development)
Jan. 18, 2027	Monday	Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 15, 2027	Monday	Presidents’ Day
March 15-19, 2027	Monday-Friday	Spring break
March 26, 2027	Friday	No school for students, teachers and paraeducators
May 27, 2027	Thursday	Last day of school, early dismissal

Graduation ceremonies are held May 1-27, 2027. Plan the first break on the November 2026 calendar.

Which Polk County days end early?

The calendar lists 10 early dismissal days, and says “Students are dismissed from school 150 minutes (2.5 hours) early on each of these days.”

Date	Weekday
Sept. 4, 2026	Friday
Oct. 2, 2026	Friday
Oct. 30, 2026	Friday
Nov. 20, 2026	Friday
Dec. 18, 2026	Friday
Jan. 15, 2027	Friday
Feb. 12, 2027	Friday
March 12, 2027	Friday
April 23, 2027	Friday
May 27, 2027	Thursday

Dec. 18 is also the end of the first semester, which the calendar counts as 86 days, and the last school day before winter break. Third quarter begins Jan. 6, 2027.

Could storm make-up days cancel part of Polk County’s breaks?

They could. The calendar reads: “Storm Make-Up Days: 11/23/26, 11/24/26, 1/5/27 and 5/27/27 (Last Student Day).” That puts two days of the fall break week and Jan. 5, during winter break, on the list of days that could become school days after a storm. The calendar adds: “Reminder: Non-Refundable Travel Tickets Should Not Be Purchased in the Event that Storm Make-Up Days Are Used as Student Attendance Days and/or Teacher Work Days.”

The calendar does not say that any of these days has been used, and it does not say how many lost days would trigger each one. The printable marks Nov. 23, Nov. 24 and Jan. 5 as unconfirmed.

When does the Polk County school year start and end?

Classes start Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026 and end Thursday, May 27, 2027 with an early dismissal. The free printable puts the district’s dates on one page, and our printable school-year calendar page has more layouts. See also the Orange County calendar story for another Florida district.