Decatur City Schools Calendar 2026-27

The DCS 2026-27 calendar

This is the district's own calendar, as DCS publishes it. Tap it to open the full-size image.

Add the DCS calendar to your phone

Pick a file. Each one is an all-day event per day off or half day, and a break is one event across all its days.

On an iPhone

Tap a file above, then tap Add All. The dates go into the calendar you choose.

In Google Calendar

On a computer, open Google Calendar, then Settings, then Import & export. Choose the file and the calendar to add it to. The dates show up on your Android phone too.

In Outlook

Open the downloaded file, or in Outlook on the web go to Add calendar, then Upload from file.

These files are a copy of the calendar today. If the district changes a date, download the file again.

DCS vacations and holidays, 2026-27

Every day with no school for students, from the first day to the last: 14 entries and 33 weekdays in all.

DCS early release days

Four early release days in all. Two are for every school. The other two are for some schools only.

Calendar notes: what to plan around

Long weekends and breaks

Every stretch of three or more days with no school, counting weekends. A half day next to a weekend adds half a day.

• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Sept. 5 to Monday, Sept. 7. Labor Day. Back Tuesday, Sept. 8.
• 5-day weekend: Thursday, Oct. 8 to Monday, Oct. 12. Fall break and Columbus Day (professional development, no school). Back Tuesday, Oct. 13.
• 9 days off in a row: Saturday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 29. Thanksgiving break. Back Monday, Nov. 30.
• 18.5 days off in a row: Friday, Dec. 18 at early dismissal to Tuesday, Jan. 5. Half day before winter break, winter break and professional development days (no school). Back Wednesday, Jan. 6.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Jan. 16 to Monday, Jan. 18. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Back Tuesday, Jan. 19.
• 4-day weekend: Saturday, Feb. 13 to Tuesday, Feb. 16. Presidents Day and professional development day (no school). Back Wednesday, Feb. 17.
• 9 days off in a row: Saturday, March 13 to Sunday, March 21. Spring break. Back Monday, March 22.
• 3-day weekend: Friday, March 26 to Sunday, March 28. Professional development day (no school). Back Monday, March 29.
• 3-day weekend: Friday, April 16 to Sunday, April 18. Professional development day (no school). Back Monday, April 19.
• 3-day weekend: Friday, April 30 to Sunday, May 2. Weather day (no school). Back Monday, May 3.

Weeks with fewer than five school days

Twelve weeks have fewer than five school days, and four weeks have none at all.

Teacher workdays: no school for students

Five of the days off are staff days. Teachers work; students stay home. Plan child care as you would for a holiday.

• Monday, Oct. 12: Columbus Day (professional development, no school)
• Monday, Jan. 4 to Tuesday, Jan. 5: professional development days (no school)
• Tuesday, Feb. 16: professional development day (no school)
• Friday, March 26: professional development day (no school)
• Friday, April 16: professional development day (no school)

Makeup days

Weather day, Friday, April 30 (marked "Weather Day - No School"; the calendar may be altered at the discretion of the board).

Also worth knowing

• The calendar prints no parent-teacher conference days.
• The calendar prints no testing dates.
• After the last day, the calendar still shows professional development day (after the last day) (May 27). Students are already out.

First and last day of school

The first day of school is Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. The last day is Wednesday, May 26, 2027, with early dismissal.

Teachers start sooner. Staff days before school run Aug. 3 to 5.

The district prints 177 instructional days across the semesters. Our count of the calendar matches.

Grading periods

The calendar prints the student days in each semester. Report cards go home Oct. 16, Jan. 8, March 26, and May 24 (elementary) or May 27 (secondary).

What the district notes

• Kindergarten students have half days on Thursday, Aug. 6 and Friday, Aug. 7, the first two days of school.
• The closings list gives winter break as Dec. 21 to Jan. 5; Jan. 4 and 5 are professional development days, and students return Wednesday, Jan. 6.
• Friday, April 30 is a weather day with no school.
• Progress reports go home Sept. 4, Nov. 13, Feb. 5 and April 23.
• Graduations: Career Academies of Decatur (CAD) May 20, Decatur High School May 24 and Austin High School May 25.
• The calendar says it may be altered at the discretion of the Board of Education or the administration.

How we checked these dates

We read every date off the district's own calendar twice: once from the PDF's text and once from the image, cell by cell against its legend. Then we checked our count of every school day against the day counts the district prints. They match.

Every weekday on this page matches its date. If the district changes its calendar, its page is the final word.