Do Illinois school holiday dates vary by district?

Yes. The dates on this page are statewide planning windows showing when most Illinois 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.

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

Illinois has 852 public school districts, and each adopts its own school calendar. Together they enroll 1,837,668 students; the largest, Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, enrolls 324,130 (NCES, 2024-25).

The dates below are statewide planning windows for 2026-27 and 2027-28: our estimate of when most Illinois 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

Illinois School Holidays 2025-26

The main school holiday breaks observed across Illinois in 2025-26: winter break December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026, spring break April 6 - 10, 2026, and summer break June 16, 2026 - August 23, 2026

Illinois school holidays for 2025-26
School Holiday	Date
First Day of SchoolPublic	August 25 - 27, 2025Typical late August start for CPS
Labor DayPublic	September 1, 2025Statewide closure
Indigenous Peoples' DayPublic	October 13, 2025Observed in Chicago and other IL districts
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2025No school
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 26 - 28, 2025Standard holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026Holiday break for CPS and suburban districts
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 19, 2026Federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 16, 2026Observed statewide
Spring BreakPublic	April 6 - 10, 2026Common April window for IL districts
Memorial DayPublic	May 25, 2026Schools closed
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 10 - 15, 2026Typical June finish for Illinois schools
Summer BreakPublic	June 16, 2026 - August 23, 2026Holiday break

Illinois School Holidays 2026-27

The main school holiday breaks observed across Illinois in 2026-27: winter break December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027, spring break March 22 - 26, 2027, and summer break June 16, 2027 - August 22, 2027

Illinois school holidays for 2026-27
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2026-27)Public	August 24 - 26, 2026Late August start standard
Labor DayPublic	September 7, 2026Schools closed statewide
Indigenous Peoples' DayPublic	October 12, 2026Observed in Chicago
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2026No school
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 25 - 27, 2026Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 18, 2027Federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 15, 2027Observed statewide
Spring BreakPublic	March 22 - 26, 2027March window for CPS and many IL districts
Memorial DayPublic	May 31, 2027Schools closed
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 10 - 15, 2027Typical June finish for Illinois schools
Summer BreakPublic	June 16, 2027 - August 22, 2027Holiday break

Illinois School Holidays 2027-28

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

Illinois school holidays for 2027-28
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2027-28)Public	August 23 - 25, 2027Late August start standard
Labor DayPublic	September 6, 2027Schools closed statewide
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2027No school
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 24 - 26, 2027Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 20, 2027 - December 31, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 17, 2028Federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 21, 2028Observed statewide
Spring BreakPublic	March 20 - 24, 2028Standard late March window
Memorial DayPublic	May 29, 2028Public holiday
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 10 - 15, 2028Typical June finish for Illinois schools

Illinois district calendars

The dates above are the statewide window. These districts publish their own calendars, and where they differ, the district date is the one that applies to your school:

Chicago Public Schools calendar
School starts August 24, 2026, ends June 11, 2027.

Largest school districts in Illinois

5 districts enroll 24% of Illinois's district students. The other 847 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.

Largest school districts in Illinois by enrollment, 2024-25
District	Students	Calendar
Chicago Public Schools Dist 299Chicago	324,130643 schools	View dates
SD U-46Elgin	34,03655 schools	Check the district's website
Rockford SD 205Rockford	28,46746 schools	Check the district's website
Indian Prairie CUSD 204Aurora	26,10834 schools	Check the district's website
Plainfield SD 202Plainfield	24,55631 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 Illinois law shapes the school calendar

Start and end dates: District option.; 105 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/10-19
Minimum instructional time: 185 days; Designed to insure 176 days of student attendance.; 105 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/10-19

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 Illinois

Illinois districts like Chicago Public Schools (CPS) often have unique non-attendance days for 'Report Card Pickups' and professional development.

Illinois districts like Chicago Public Schools (CPS) often have unique non-attendance days.

Illinois's 2027-2028 academic year maintains the late August start and late March spring break patterns.

Illinois school breaks: quick answers

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

When is winter break in Illinois 2026-27?

Winter break in Illinois (2026-27) is December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027.

When is spring break in Illinois 2026-27?

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

When is summer break in Illinois 2026-27?

Summer break in Illinois (2026-27) is June 16, 2027 - August 22, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.

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

School in Illinois (2026-27) starts August 24 - 26, 2026 and ends June 10 - 15, 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 Illinois:

Illinois State Board of Education