New Mexico School Calendar 2026-2027: Spring Break & Winter Break Dates
New Mexico has 89 public school districts, and each adopts its own school calendar. Together they enroll 284,454 students; the largest, Albuquerque, enrolls 74,792 (NCES, 2024-25).
The dates below are statewide planning windows for 2026-27 and 2027-28: our estimate of when most New Mexico 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.
Largest school districts in New Mexico
5 districts enroll 49% of New Mexico's district students. The other 84 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.
Separately, 7% of New Mexico'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 |
|---|---|---|
| AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque | 74,792174 schools | Check the district's website |
| Las CrucesLas Cruces | 22,78239 schools | Check the district's website |
| Rio RanchoRio Rancho | 16,51920 schools | Check the district's website |
| GallupGallup | 12,80933 schools | Check the district's website |
| GadsdenAnthony | 11,73926 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 New Mexico law shapes the school calendar
- Start and end dates
- District option.
- N.M. Stat. Ann. § 22-2-8.1
- Minimum instructional time
- Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hours
- Full-day K-6: 990 hours
- Grades 7-12: 1,080 hours
- Excludes lunch.
- Some hours may be used for home visits or for parent-teacher conferences, depending on grade level.
- N.M. Stat. Ann. § 22-2-8.1
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 New Mexico
Most districts follow this calendar pattern, though private schools may vary a bit on start dates and religious holidays.
New Mexico schools often observe Indigenous Peoples' Day in October.
New Mexico's 2027-2028 academic year includes the observation of Indigenous Peoples' Day in October.
New Mexico school breaks: quick answers
The most searched New Mexico dates for 2026-27 at a glance.
When is winter break in New Mexico 2026-27?
Winter break in New Mexico (2026-27) is December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027.
When is spring break in New Mexico 2026-27?
Spring break in New Mexico (2026-27) is March 15 - 19, 2027.
When is summer break in New Mexico 2026-27?
Summer break in New Mexico (2026-27) is May 23, 2027 - August 10, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.
When does school start and end in New Mexico 2026-27?
School in New Mexico (2026-27) starts August 13, 2026 and ends May 20 - 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 New Mexico:
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: