Do Colorado school holiday dates vary by district?

Yes. The dates on this page are statewide planning windows showing when most Colorado districts take each break; they are not any single district's official calendar. Each district adopts its own calendar, so confirm with your local school before booking travel.

Colorado School Calendar 2026-2027: Spring Break & Winter Break Dates

Colorado has 178 public school districts, and each adopts its own school calendar. Together they enroll 839,134 students; the largest, School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C, enrolls 90,471 (NCES, 2024-25).

The dates below are statewide planning windows for 2026-27 and 2027-28: our estimate of when most Colorado schools take each break. They are not any one district's official calendar, so check your own district's calendar before booking travel.

Last updated: September 17, 2026 · Next review: January 2027

Dates vary by district. Use the statewide windows below for planning, then confirm with your local school district calendar before booking travel. Read how we source these dates.

Navigate to school year:

2025-26
2026-27
2027-28

Colorado School Holidays 2025-26

The main school holiday breaks observed across Colorado in 2025-26: winter break December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026, spring break March 23 - 27, 2026, and summer break May 30, 2026 - August 9, 2026

Colorado school holidays for 2025-26
School Holiday	Date
First Day of SchoolPublic	August 11 - 18, 2025Typical mid-August start for CO districts
Labor DayPublic	September 1, 2025No school
Fall BreakDistrict-Specific	October 16 - 20, 2025Commonly observed in Denver Public Schools and Jeffco
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2025Observed statewide
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 24 - 28, 2025Full week for many mountain and metro districts
Winter BreakPublic	December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 19, 2026State and federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 16, 2026No school
Spring BreakPublic	March 23 - 27, 2026Standard window for most Colorado districts
Good FridayDistrict-Specific	April 3, 2026Observed as a non-contact day in some districts
Memorial DayPublic	May 25, 2026School usually ends before or immediately after
Last Day of SchoolPublic	May 21 - 29, 2026End of the school year
Summer BreakPublic	May 30, 2026 - August 9, 2026Holiday break

Colorado School Holidays 2026-27

The main school holiday breaks observed across Colorado in 2026-27: winter break December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027, spring break March 22 - 26, 2027, and summer break May 29, 2027 - August 8, 2027

Colorado school holidays for 2026-27
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2026-27)Public	August 10 - 17, 2026Mid-August start is standard
Labor DayPublic	September 7, 2026Schools closed statewide
Frances Xavier Cabrini DayState-Specific	October 5, 2026Colorado state holiday (observed 1st Monday in Oct)
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2026Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 23 - 27, 2026Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 18, 2027State and federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 15, 2027Observed statewide
Spring BreakPublic	March 22 - 26, 2027Standard spring break window
Last Day of SchoolPublic	May 21 - 28, 2027End of the school year
Memorial DayPublic	May 31, 2027No school
Summer BreakPublic	May 29, 2027 - August 8, 2027Holiday break

Colorado School Holidays 2027-28

The main school holiday breaks observed across Colorado in 2027-28: winter break December 20, 2027 - December 31, 2027, spring break March 20 - 24, 2028, and summer break (varies by district)

Colorado school holidays for 2027-28
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2027-28)Public	August 9 - 16, 2027Mid-August start is standard
Labor DayPublic	September 6, 2027Schools closed statewide
Frances Xavier Cabrini DayState-Specific	October 4, 2027Colorado state holiday (observed 1st Monday in Oct)
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2027Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 22 - 26, 2027Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 20, 2027 - December 31, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 17, 2028State and federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 21, 2028Observed statewide
Spring BreakPublic	March 20 - 24, 2028Standard spring break window
Last Day of SchoolPublic	May 21 - 28, 2028End of the school year
Memorial DayPublic	May 29, 2028No school

Largest school districts in Colorado

5 districts enroll 38% of Colorado's district students. The other 173 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.

Largest school districts in Colorado by enrollment, 2024-25
District	Students	Calendar
School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of CDenver	90,471198 schools	Check the district's website
Jefferson County School District No. R-1Golden	73,532144 schools	Check the district's website
Douglas County School District No. Re 1Castle Rock	61,24388 schools	Check the district's website
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of ArapahGreenwood Village	51,98069 schools	Check the district's website
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and AAurora	38,70258 schools	Check the district's website

Enrollment and district counts: NCES Common Core of Data, LEA directory 2024-25 (via Urban Institute Education Data API). Counts cover regular local school districts; enrollment is fall 2024.

How Colorado law shapes the school calendar

Start and end dates: District option.; Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-32-109
Minimum instructional time: 160 days; Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hours; Full-day Kindergarten: 900 hours; Grades 1-5: 990 hours; Grades 6-12: 1,080 hours; Required hours may include time for parent-teacher conferences, staff in-service programs, and closing due to health, safety, or welfare concerns.; Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-32-109

Source: Education Commission of the States 50-state comparison, published January 2020 (days and hours, start and finish dates). Calendar statutes change, so check the cited section for the current text. Every state side by side: school calendar laws by state.

Good to know in Colorado

Colorado districts frequently schedule 'Professional Development' days around holiday weekends, extending the break for students. Fall break in October is a standard feature in major metro districts.

Colorado replaced Columbus Day with Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. School start dates vary significantly between mountain and metro districts.

For the 2027-2028 year, Colorado schools continue to observe Frances Xavier Cabrini Day in early October.

Colorado school breaks: quick answers

The most searched Colorado dates for 2026-27 at a glance.

When is winter break in Colorado 2026-27?

Winter break in Colorado (2026-27) is December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027.

When is spring break in Colorado 2026-27?

Spring break in Colorado (2026-27) is March 22 - 26, 2027.

When is summer break in Colorado 2026-27?

Summer break in Colorado (2026-27) is May 29, 2027 - August 8, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.

When does school start and end in Colorado 2026-27?

School in Colorado (2026-27) starts August 10 - 17, 2026 and ends May 21 - 28, 2027.

Sources & verification

The statewide windows are our planning estimates, not transcribed from a single official calendar. District pages linked above are transcribed from each district's own published calendar. Official sources for Colorado:

Colorado Department of Education