Do Pennsylvania school holiday dates vary by district?

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

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

Pennsylvania has 499 public school districts, and each adopts its own school calendar. Together they enroll 1,502,393 students; the largest, Philadelphia City SD, enrolls 120,057 (NCES, 2024-25).

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

Pennsylvania School Holidays 2025-26

The main school holiday breaks observed across Pennsylvania in 2025-26: winter break December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026, spring break April 6 - 10, 2026, and summer break June 13, 2026 - August 23, 2026

Pennsylvania school holidays for 2025-26
School Holiday	Date
First Day of SchoolPublic	August 25, 2025The school year begins
Labor DayPublic	September 1, 2025Schools closed statewide
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2025Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 24 - 28, 2025Holiday break
Winter BreakPublic	December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 19, 2026Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents DayPublic	February 16, 2026Observed statewide
Memorial DayPublic	May 25, 2026No school
Spring BreakPublic	April 6 - 10, 2026Standard spring break window
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 5 - 12, 2026End of the school year
Summer BreakPublic	June 13, 2026 - August 23, 2026Holiday break

Pennsylvania School Holidays 2026-27

The main school holiday breaks observed across Pennsylvania in 2026-27: winter break December 24, 2026 - January 1, 2027, spring break April 5 - 9, 2027, and summer break June 13, 2027 - August 22, 2027

Pennsylvania school holidays for 2026-27
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2026-27)Public	August 24 - September 8, 2026Start dates vary widely between August and September
Labor DayPublic	September 7, 2026Schools closed statewide
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2026Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 26 - 30, 2026Commonly includes the Monday after Thanksgiving
Winter BreakPublic	December 24, 2026 - January 1, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 18, 2027Federal and state holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 15, 2027Observed in most districts
Good FridayPublic	March 26, 2027Observed in many PA districts
Spring BreakPublic	April 5 - 9, 2027Common spring break window
Memorial DayPublic	May 31, 2027No school
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 5 - 12, 2027End of the school year
Summer BreakPublic	June 13, 2027 - August 22, 2027Holiday break

Pennsylvania School Holidays 2027-28

The main school holiday breaks observed across Pennsylvania in 2027-28: winter break December 23, 2027 - December 31, 2027, spring break March 26 - April 2, 2028, and summer break (varies by district)

Pennsylvania school holidays for 2027-28
School Holiday	Date
First Day of School (2027-28)Public	August 23 - September 7, 2027Varied start dates in Aug/Sep
Labor DayPublic	September 6, 2027Schools closed statewide
Veterans DayPublic	November 11, 2027Public holiday
Thanksgiving BreakPublic	November 25 - 29, 2027Includes 'Deer Season' Monday in many districts
Winter BreakPublic	December 23, 2027 - December 31, 2027Holiday break
MLK Jr. DayPublic	January 17, 2028Federal holiday
Presidents DayPublic	February 21, 2028Observed statewide
Good FridayPublic	April 14, 2028Observed in most districts
Spring BreakPublic	March 26 - April 2, 2028Aligned with Easter break
Memorial DayPublic	May 29, 2028No school
Last Day of SchoolPublic	June 5 - 12, 2028End of the school year

Largest school districts in Pennsylvania

5 districts enroll 13% of Pennsylvania's district students. The other 494 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.

Separately, 11% of Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania by enrollment, 2024-25
District	Students	Calendar
Philadelphia City SDPhiladelphia	120,057220 schools	Check the district's website
Pittsburgh SDPittsburgh	19,57156 schools	Check the district's website
Central Bucks SDDoylestown	16,94123 schools	Check the district's website
Allentown City SDAllentown	16,76923 schools	Check the district's website
Reading SDReading	16,66419 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 Pennsylvania law shapes the school calendar

Start and end dates: District option.; 24 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 15-1504
Minimum instructional time: 180 days; Kindergarten: 450 hours; Grades 1-6: 900 hours; Grades 7-12: 990 hours; Can meet days or hours with approval from the Secretary of Education.; 22 Pa. Code § 11.1; 22 Pa. Code § 11.3

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 Pennsylvania

Most districts follow this calendar pattern, though private schools may vary a bit on start dates and religious holidays.

Pennsylvania districts often include the Monday after Thanksgiving as part of their break, a unique state-wide pattern.

Pennsylvania's 2027-2028 year continues with the local tradition of closing for the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Pennsylvania school breaks: quick answers

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

When is winter break in Pennsylvania 2026-27?

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

When is spring break in Pennsylvania 2026-27?

Spring break in Pennsylvania (2026-27) is April 5 - 9, 2027.

When is summer break in Pennsylvania 2026-27?

Summer break in Pennsylvania (2026-27) is June 13, 2027 - August 22, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.

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

School in Pennsylvania (2026-27) starts August 24 - September 8, 2026 and ends June 5 - 12, 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 Pennsylvania: