District of Columbia School Calendar 2026-2027: Spring Break & Winter Break Dates
District of Columbia has a single public school district (District of Columbia Public Schools), which enrolls 52,299 students in 117 schools (NCES, 2024-25).
The dates below are statewide planning windows for 2026-27 and 2027-28: our estimate of when most District of Columbia 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: · 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.
School districts in District of Columbia
District of Columbia Public Schools is the only school district in District of Columbia, so one board adopts the calendar for every school it runs, unlike states where hundreds of district boards each set their own.
Separately, 48% of District of Columbia's public school students attend charter schools or other public agencies outside a regular district. Those schools adopt their own calendars too.
| District | Students | Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia Public SchoolsWashington | 52,299117 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 District of Columbia law shapes the school calendar
- Start and end dates
- Set by the Board of Education.
- D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 5-E, § 305
- Minimum instructional time
- 180 days
- D.C. Code Ann. § 38-2901
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 District of Columbia
Most districts follow this calendar pattern, though private schools may vary a bit on start dates and religious holidays.
Washington D.C. observes Emancipation Day on April 16th, which often falls during the DCPS spring break window.
Washington D.C.'s 2027-2028 year continues the tradition of observing Emancipation Day on April 16th.
District of Columbia school breaks: quick answers
The most searched District of Columbia dates for 2026-27 at a glance.
When is winter break in District of Columbia 2026-27?
Winter break in District of Columbia (2026-27) is December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027.
When is spring break in District of Columbia 2026-27?
Spring break in District of Columbia (2026-27) is April 12 - 16, 2027.
When is summer break in District of Columbia 2026-27?
Summer break in District of Columbia (2026-27) is June 23, 2027 - August 22, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.
When does school start and end in District of Columbia 2026-27?
School in District of Columbia (2026-27) starts August 24, 2026 and ends June 18 - 22, 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 District of Columbia:
Compare with other states
Planning guides:
- When does school start in America? Start dates by state
- When does school end in America? Last day of school by state
- US summer break 2027 dates by state
- Spring break 2027 & 2028 dates by state
- Winter break dates by state
- Thanksgiving break dates by state
- Easter school holidays and the spring break overlap
- Back-to-school planning guide
- Easter and Good Friday dates 2027-2036
- Thanksgiving dates 2027-2036
Research from our own calendar data: