Washington School Calendar 2026-2027: Spring Break & Winter Break Dates
Washington has 297 public school districts, and each adopts its own school calendar. Together they enroll 1,087,695 students; the largest, Seattle School District No. 1, enrolls 50,773 (NCES, 2024-25).
The dates below are statewide planning windows for 2026-27 and 2027-28: our estimate of when most Washington 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 Washington
5 districts enroll 15% of Washington's district students. The other 292 districts each set a calendar of their own, so two schools a few miles apart can break in different weeks.
| District | Students | Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle School District No. 1Seattle | 50,773108 schools | Check the district's website |
| Lake Washington School DistrictRedmond | 30,98657 schools | Check the district's website |
| Spokane School DistrictSpokane | 28,85368 schools | Check the district's website |
| Tacoma School DistrictTacoma | 28,84767 schools | Check the district's website |
| Kent School DistrictKent | 25,35846 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 Washington law shapes the school calendar
- Start and end dates
- Not specified in statute or regulation.
- Minimum instructional time
- Kindergarten: 180 half-days
- Grades 1-12: 180 days
- Kindergarten: 450 hours
- Grades 1-8: 1,000 hours
- Grades 9-12: 1,080 hours
- Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.150.220
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 Washington
Most districts follow this calendar pattern, though private schools may vary a bit on start dates and religious holidays.
Washington schools traditionally start very late in August or the first week of September, often right before Labor Day.
Washington's 2027-2028 year continues with the tradition of starting near or after Labor Day.
Washington school breaks: quick answers
The most searched Washington dates for 2026-27 at a glance.
When is winter break in Washington 2026-27?
Winter break in Washington (2026-27) is December 21, 2026 - January 1, 2027.
When is spring break in Washington 2026-27?
Spring break in Washington (2026-27) is April 5 - 9, 2027.
When is summer break in Washington 2026-27?
Summer break in Washington (2026-27) is June 24, 2027 - August 31, 2027. Exact dates vary by district — confirm with your local school calendar.
When does school start and end in Washington 2026-27?
School in Washington (2026-27) starts September 2, 2026 and ends June 17 - 23, 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 Washington:
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: