Winter Break 2026-27: Dates for 15 Large School Districts and When Students Go Back

Winter break 2026-27 starts Monday, Dec. 21, 2026 in 13 of the 15 large U.S. school districts we checked. Philadelphia starts Wednesday, Dec. 23, and New York City starts Thursday, Dec. 24. Every date below comes from the district’s own 2026-27 calendar, linked in the sources.

Most of these districts list their break through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027. The day students go back varies more than the day it begins: some return Monday, Jan. 4, some Tuesday, Jan. 5, and several calendars do not print a return day at all.

Winter break 2026-27 dates by school district

District	First day off	Last day off	Students return
New York City Public Schools, N.Y.	Thu., Dec. 24, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Mon., Jan. 4
Chicago Public Schools, Ill.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Tue., Jan. 5
Miami-Dade County, Fla.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Mon., Jan. 4
Clark County, Nev.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Tue., Jan. 5
Broward County, Fla.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Not listed
Houston Independent School District (ISD), Texas	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Thu., Dec. 31, 2026	Not listed
Palm Beach County, Fla.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Tue., Jan. 5
Fairfax County, Va.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Not listed
Gwinnett County, Ga.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Tue., Jan. 5
Dallas ISD, Texas	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Not listed
Wake County, N.C. (traditional)	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Not listed
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Not listed
Philadelphia, Pa.	Wed., Dec. 23, 2026	Thu., Dec. 31, 2026	Not listed
Cobb County, Ga.	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Not listed
Austin ISD, Texas	Mon., Dec. 21, 2026	Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Not listed

“Not listed” means the district’s calendar names the break but does not print a return day. Where that happens, check your school’s calendar before you plan travel.

Which districts start or end winter break early?

New York City starts latest of the 15. Its 2026-27 calendar lists winter recess from Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026 through Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, three days after the Monday, Dec. 21 start used in 13 of the other districts. Philadelphia starts Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Houston Independent School District and Philadelphia both end their listed recess on Thursday, Dec. 31; in Houston, Friday, Jan. 1 is New Year’s Day, and in Philadelphia, New Year’s Day is a separate closure on the calendar. Fairfax County runs its break through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027.

Which districts add a staff day so students return Jan. 5?

Four of these districts give staff a workday on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, which pushes students back to Tuesday, Jan. 5:

• Chicago Public Schools marks Jan. 4 as a professional development day, so students return Jan. 5.
• Clark County, which covers Las Vegas, lists Jan. 4 as a Staff Development Day; its calendar footer reads “subject to change.”
• Palm Beach County calls Jan. 4 a teacher duty day with no students.
• Gwinnett County marks Jan. 4 as a student holiday, and its second semester begins Jan. 5.

Houston’s calendar also marks Monday, Jan. 4 as a staff professional development day; it does not print a return day, and its next grading cycle begins Tuesday, Jan. 5.

When do students go back to school after winter break?

New York City and Miami-Dade both resume on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027. In Miami-Dade, Friday, Dec. 18 is a teacher planning day with no students, so children are off from Dec. 18. The NYC public schools calendar has the rest of that district’s year.

Dallas ISD, Cobb County and Austin ISD list the break through Monday, Jan. 4 without printing a separate return day. Cobb County’s Important Dates page prints the last day as a “Friday,” but Jan. 4, 2027 is a Monday. Broward County, Wake County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Fairfax County and Philadelphia also do not list a return day. Austin ISD marks Jan. 4 as a staff development day and student holiday, and Dallas ISD marks Tuesday, Jan. 5 as a professional development day, with its next grading period starting Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Which districts aren’t on this list yet?

Five large districts are not in the table yet because their official 2026-27 calendar pages were not readable when we checked: Los Angeles Unified, Montgomery County, Md., Hillsborough County, Fla., Orange County, Fla., and San Diego Unified. If yours is one of these, check your district’s calendar for its winter break dates.

Plan the break

Mark your district’s days on the December 2026 printable calendar and the January 2027 printable calendar, or keep the whole year on a printable school-year calendar. For the fall holiday, the Thanksgiving break 2026 story lists these same districts’ days off. Print the one-page list below to compare all 15 at a glance.