SPPS Calendar 2026-27: Winter Break Dec. 23 to Jan. 1

The Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) 2026-27 calendar lists winter break from Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026 through Thursday, Dec. 31 and Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, spring break from Monday through Friday, April 5-9, 2027, and a last day of school on Friday, June 11, 2027, according to the district’s “2026-27 SPPS District Calendar” PDF. The calendar does not print a return date; Monday, Jan. 4 is the first weekday it does not list as a day off, which is our reading. The district’s calendar page says “Dates apply to all students unless otherwise noted.” Tables below split the days off by grade level and show why the board shortened winter break.

The printable school-year calendar at the bottom of the page puts the district’s dates on one sheet. Minneapolis, across the river, has its own dates in our Minneapolis Public Schools calendar story.

SPPS breaks at a glance

Weekdays off are counted from the district’s dates. The last column is a reading, because the calendar prints no return days.

Break	District’s dates	Weekdays off	First weekday not listed as off
Thanksgiving Break	Thu.-Fri., Nov. 26-27, 2026	2	Mon., Nov. 30
Winter Break	Wed., Dec. 23 to Thu., Dec. 31, 2026, and Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	8	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027
Spring Break	Mon.-Fri., April 5-9, 2027	5	Mon., April 12, 2027

Counting weekends, students are out 4 days in a row at Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29), 12 days at winter break (Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 3) and 9 days at spring break (Saturday, April 3 through Sunday, April 11). The last day before winter break is Tuesday, Dec. 22 since no earlier day off is listed that week. Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25, falls inside the break.

Why SPPS shortened winter break for 2026-27

The district’s Board of Education post, “Board of Education Approves Upcoming School Year Calendars”, says “there will be slightly shortened winter breaks in school years 2026-27 and 2027-28.” The board gives the reason: “When Labor Day falls on the 5th, 6th or 7th of September and we follow all of our other district parameters, we are unable to finish school before the third week of June.” Labor Day 2026 is Monday, Sept. 7.

The post also reports a survey. Families preferred the shortened winter break (62%) and staff did too (66%), while grade 6-12 students preferred a full two-week winter break (47%). The post shows no date, and this story does not state when the board voted. Our winter break 2026 roundup lists other districts, and the December 2026 printable calendar shows the weeks.

Every SPPS no-school day for all grades in 2026-27

These are the days the calendar lists as no school for PreK-12, plus the holidays it marks. The district labels Oct. 15-16 a state teacher meeting and prints a short acronym after it that it does not spell out.

Date	What the district lists
Mon., Sept. 7, 2026	Labor Day
Mon., Sept. 21, 2026	No School, Staff Development
Thu.-Fri., Oct. 15-16, 2026	No School, State Teacher Meeting
Fri., Nov. 13, 2026	No School, Parent-teacher conferences for PreK-5/Secondary professional development
Thu.-Fri., Nov. 26-27, 2026	No School, Thanksgiving Break
Wed., Dec. 23 to Thu., Dec. 31, 2026, and Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	No School, Winter Break
Mon., Jan. 18, 2027	Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Fri., Jan. 29, 2027	No School, Elementary professional development/ Secondary grading day
Mon., Feb. 15, 2027	Presidents Day
Wed., March 10, 2027	No School, Elementary conference preparation/ Secondary professional development
Mon.-Fri., April 5-9, 2027	No School, Spring Break
Mon., May 17, 2027	No School, Staff Development Day
Mon., May 31, 2027	Memorial Day

That is 26 weekdays off for all grades between Sept. 7, 2026 and May 31, 2027 (counted from the district’s dates).

Month	Weekdays off for all grades
September 2026	2
October 2026	2
November 2026	3
December 2026	7
January 2027	3
February 2027	1
March 2027	1
April 2027	5
May 2027	2
Total	26

Eight single days off make three-day weekends: Mondays Sept. 7, Sept. 21, Jan. 18, Feb. 15, May 17 and May 31, and Fridays Nov. 13 and Jan. 29. Friday, Oct. 16 ends a two-day break that runs Thursday, Oct. 15 through Sunday, Oct. 18.

Which SPPS days off apply to some grades only?

Two days off are for PreK-5 only, and the district notes that secondary students are in session. Two start-of-year days are for Pre-K and kindergarten only.

Date	Who has no school	What the district lists
Tue.-Wed., Sept. 8-9, 2026	Pre-K and K	No School, Welcome Meetings
Fri., Oct. 30, 2026	PreK-5	No School, Conference Preparation; secondary in session
Fri., March 26, 2027	PreK-5	No School, PreK-5 Conference Day; secondary in session

By this table, PreK-5 students have two extra days off on top of the all-grade list, and the Pre-K and kindergarten welcome meetings replace two school days at the start. The district lists no early-release days.

When does the SPPS school year start and end?

Grades 1-12 start Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, the day after Labor Day, listed as “First Day of School | 1-12”. Pre-K and kindergarten have welcome meetings on Sept. 8-9 and begin Thursday, Sept. 10 (“First Day of School | Pre-K & K”). The year ends Friday, June 11, 2027, listed as “Last Day of School | PreK-12” and “End of Quarter 4”.

Friday, June 18, 2027 appears on the PDF as “Juneteenth (Observed) (District Offices Closed)”. That is after the last day, so it affects district offices, not students.

When do SPPS quarters end?

Date	What the district lists
Thu., Nov. 12, 2026	End of Quarter 1
Fri., Jan. 29, 2027	End of Quarter 2
Fri., April 2, 2027	End of Quarter 3
Fri., June 11, 2027	End of Quarter 4

Quarter 1 ends the day before the Nov. 13 conference day, and Quarter 2 ends on the Jan. 29 day that is a grading day for secondary students. Quarter 3 ends the Friday before spring break.

What the SPPS calendar does not say

The district’s web page lists “June 19: Juneteenth”, while the PDF lists June 18; the PDF is used here. The calendar prints no return day after winter or spring break, no early-release days and no make-up or e-learning days. The board post shows no approval date. Check the district’s calendar page before booking travel.

Print the SPPS calendar

The printable shows the first days, Labor Day, the all-grade no-school days, Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break and the last day on a 10-month sheet from September 2026 to June 2027. Days for PreK-5 only and quarter ends are in the tables above and are left off the sheet.