Do New York school holiday dates vary by district?

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

New York School Calendar 2026-2027: Spring Break & Winter Break Dates

New York runs the latest school calendar in the country: for 2026-27 and 2027-28, schools open around September 8-10 — after Labor Day — and run until June 24-26. The anchor is New York City Public Schools, the largest district in the nation, whose calendar sets the pattern much of the state follows.

New York's calendar is also the most culturally layered. Beyond the standard breaks you will find Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in September, a full Mid-Winter Recess week in February, Lunar New Year, and a long Spring Recess in April (April 2-10 in 2027). New York City additionally observes Diwali and Eid holidays — the most diverse school holiday calendar in the US.

The trade-off for the late start is a late finish deep into June, when Regents exam season shapes the final weeks for high-school families. Thanksgiving here is typically a shorter break (November 26-27) than the full week common in Southern states.

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

New York School Holidays 2025-26

The main school holiday breaks observed across New York in 2025-26: winter break December 24, 2025 - January 2, 2026, spring break April 6 - 10, 2026, and summer break June 27, 2026 - September 7, 2026

New York school holidays for 2025-26
School Holiday	Date
First Day of SchoolPublic	September 4 - 8, 2025Standard post-Labor Day start for NYC DOE
Rosh HashanahState-Specific	September 23 - 24, 2025Observed in NYC and many downstate districts
Yom KippurState-Specific	October 2, 2025Observed in NYC
Italian Heritage / Indigenous Peoples' DayPublic	October 13, 2025No school
DiwaliState-Specific	October 20, 2025Observed as a school holiday in New York City
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2025Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 27 - 28, 2025Break for all NY schools
Winter BreakPublic	December 24, 2025 - January 2, 2026Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 19, 2026Federal holiday
Lunar New YearState-Specific	February 17, 2026Observed in NYC DOE schools
Mid-Winter RecessPublic	February 16 - 20, 2026Standard February break for NY districts
Spring RecessPublic	April 6 - 10, 2026Observed around Passover/Easter
Memorial DayPublic	May 25, 2026No school
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 24 - 26, 2026End of the school year for NY students
Summer BreakPublic	June 27, 2026 - September 7, 2026Holiday break

New York School Holidays 2026-27

The main school holiday breaks observed across New York in 2026-27: winter break December 24, 2026 - January 1, 2027, spring break April 2 - 10, 2027, and summer break June 27, 2027 - September 6, 2027

New York school holidays for 2026-27
School Holiday	Date
Labor DayPublic	September 7, 2026No school
First Day of School (2026-27)Public	September 8 - 10, 2026Post-Labor Day start standard
Rosh HashanahState-Specific	September 12 - 13, 2026Commonly observed
Yom KippurState-Specific	September 21, 2026Observed in NYC
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2026Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 26 - 27, 2026Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 24, 2026 - January 1, 2027End-of-year break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 18, 2027Federal holiday
Mid-Winter RecessPublic	February 15 - 19, 2027Standard February break for NY districts
Lunar New YearState-Specific	February 6, 2027Observed in NYC DOE schools
Spring RecessPublic	April 2 - 10, 2027Extended spring window for NYC DOE
Memorial DayPublic	May 31, 2027No school
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 24 - 26, 2027End of the school year for NY students
Summer BreakPublic	June 27, 2027 - September 6, 2027Holiday break

New York School Holidays 2027-28

The main school holiday breaks observed across New York in 2027-28: winter break December 23, 2027 - December 31, 2027, spring break March 25 - April 2, 2028, and summer break (varies by district)

New York school holidays for 2027-28
School Holiday	Date
Labor DayPublic	September 6, 2027No school
First Day of School (2027-28)Public	September 7 - 9, 2027Post-Labor Day start standard
Rosh HashanahState-Specific	October 2 - 3, 2027Commonly observed; schools are often closed
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2027Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 25 - 26, 2027Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 23, 2027 - December 31, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 17, 2028Federal holiday
Lunar New YearState-Specific	January 26, 2028Observed in many NY districts
Mid-Winter RecessPublic	February 21 - 25, 2028Standard February break window
Spring BreakPublic	March 25 - April 2, 2028Aligned with Easter break
Memorial DayPublic	May 29, 2028No school
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 24 - 26, 2028End of the school year for NY students

New York 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:

NYC Public Schools calendar
School starts September 10, 2026, ends June 28, 2027.

Largest school districts in New York

5 districts enroll 40% of New York's district students. The other 680 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.

Separately, 7% of New York's public school students attend charter schools or other public agencies outside a regular district. Those schools adopt their own calendars too.

Largest school districts in New York by enrollment, 2024-25
District	Students	Calendar
New York City Public SchoolsNew York	837,7771,532 schools	View dates
Buffalo City School DistrictBuffalo	30,07761 schools	Check the district's website
Yonkers City School DistrictYonkers	24,30440 schools	Check the district's website
Rochester City School DistrictRochester	21,99040 schools	District website
Syracuse City School DistrictSyracuse	18,66231 schools	District 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 York law shapes the school calendar

Start and end dates: District option.; N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 175.5
Minimum instructional time: 180 days; Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hours; Full-day K-6: 900 hours; Grades 7-12: 990 hours; N.Y. Educ. Law § 3604; N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 175.5

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 York

New York City (NYC DOE) has the most diverse holiday calendar in the US, including Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Jewish High Holy Days.

New York's 2027-2028 year continues to reflect diverse cultural observations including Lunar New Year and Jewish High Holy Days.

New York school breaks: quick answers

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

When is winter break in New York 2026-27?

Winter break in New York (2026-27) is December 24, 2026 - January 1, 2027.

When is spring break in New York 2026-27?

Spring break in New York (2026-27) is April 2 - 10, 2027.

When is summer break in New York 2026-27?

Summer break in New York (2026-27) is June 27, 2027 - September 6, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.

When does school start and end in New York 2026-27?

School in New York (2026-27) starts September 8 - 10, 2026 and ends June 24 - 26, 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 York:

New York State Education Department