Winter Break 2026: When the Biggest Districts Close
Most big districts close on Monday, December 21; New York City and Montgomery County wait until Christmas Eve, and Los Angeles stays out until January 8.
Christmas week is the one every family wants. Four of the big districts we checked close on Monday, December 21, and every district with confirmed dates is closed from December 24 to 31. Los Angeles has the longest break: Los Angeles Unified doesn’t reopen until the week of January 11.
Winter break 2026–27
All dates come from district calendars. “Closed” means no school for students.
| District | Thanksgiving | Winter break | Spring break |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Public Schools | Nov. 26–27 | Dec. 24–Jan. 1 | Apr. 22–30 |
| Los Angeles Unified | Nov. 23–27 | Dec. 21–Jan. 8 | Mar. 22–26 |
| Chicago Public Schools | Nov. 26–27 | Dec. 21–Jan. 1 | Mar. 22–26 |
| Fairfax County, Va. | Nov. 25–27 | Dec. 21–Jan. 1 | Mar. 22–26 |
| Broward County, Fla. | Nov. 23–27 | Dec. 21–31 | Mar. 22–26 |
| Montgomery County, Md. | Nov. 26–27 | Dec. 24–Jan. 1 | Mar. 26–Apr. 2 |
| Miami-Dade, Fla. | Nov. 23–25 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
A few details matter. Broward County Public Schools makes Monday, January 4 a teacher planning day, so students don’t go back until January 5. Montgomery County Public Schools has an early release on December 23. NYC Public Schools also closes for midwinter recess from February 15 to 19. Miami-Dade County Public Schools has confirmed its fall recess dates, but we couldn’t read its winter break on the district’s own site, so we’ve left it out rather than guess. We also couldn’t confirm Houston ISD or Boston Public Schools dates from their district calendars when we checked.
Chicago Public Schools closes from December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027 under the calendar put to its board in January. The district said in February that calendars for the next two school years were available. Fairfax County Public Schools shows its break as December 21 to January 3.
The peak weeks
- Saturday, December 19 to Sunday, January 3 is the main window. Every district with confirmed dates is closed from December 24 to 31.
- December 19–23 is mainly for families from Los Angeles, Chicago, Fairfax and Broward. New York and Montgomery County families are still in school until December 23.
- January 2–10 is mainly Los Angeles. LAUSD students have a second week while the East Coast is back at school.
- The week of March 22 is spring break in four of the seven districts, and Montgomery County joins on March 26. Book it at the same time as Christmas.
Sources
- NYC Public Schools, 2026–27 school year calendar
- Los Angeles Unified, Fingertip Facts, 2026–27 calendar dates
- LAUSD Harvard Elementary, 2026–2027 calendar at a glance
- Chicago Board of Education, academic calendars for 2026–27 and 2027–28, January 2026
- Chicago Public Schools, Calendars now available for CPS' next two school years, Feb 27, 2026
- Fairfax County Public Schools, 2026–2027 standard school year calendar
- Broward County Public Schools, 2026/27 school calendar
- Montgomery County Public Schools, 2026–2027 school calendar
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2026–27 school year
Casie Stewart is Senior Editor at Not An Atlas, usually found in a Toronto coffee shop in a cute outfit, laptop open, coffee in hand and phone (always) within arm's reach. Some of her warmest memories are of fishing and camping in New Zealand's Bay of Islands with her family as a kid. She's a New Zealand citizen, and it will always feel like home. She takes the window seat (she wants to see the world, not the beverage cart), swears by her Trtl travel pillow (comfort over cool, always) and orders whatever the locals are having. Waking up to the sounds of the rainforest in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle is her “this is why I travel” moment, and Arizona's deserts and sunsets are where she'd go back tomorrow. She covers the places, people, food and festivals that make a destination memorable. Friends say funny, effervescent and organized. Her mum adds cuddly. Next stop: Bali.
