Howard County Public School System Calendar 2026-27

The HCPSS 2026-27 calendar

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

Add the HCPSS 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.

HCPSS vacations and holidays, 2026-27

Every day with no school for students, from the first day to the last: 15 entries and 27 weekdays in all.

HCPSS early release days

Eleven early release days in all. Nine 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.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Sept. 19 to Monday, Sept. 21. Yom Kippur. Back Tuesday, Sept. 22.
• 3-day weekend: Friday, Oct. 16 to Sunday, Oct. 18. Staff workday (no school). Back Monday, Oct. 19.
• 2.5-day weekend: Saturday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 22. A regular weekend. Monday, Nov. 23, an early release day.
• 5.5 days off in a row: Tuesday, Nov. 24 at early dismissal to Sunday, Nov. 29. Parent-teacher conferences, early release, Parent-teacher conferences (no school) and Thanksgiving. Back Monday, Nov. 30.
• 11 days off in a row: Thursday, Dec. 24 to Sunday, Jan. 3. Winter break. Back Monday, Jan. 4.
• 4-day weekend: Saturday, Jan. 16 to Tuesday, Jan. 19. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and staff workday (no school). Back Wednesday, Jan. 20.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Feb. 13 to Monday, Feb. 15. Presidents Day. Back Tuesday, Feb. 16.
• 10 days off in a row: Saturday, March 20 to Monday, March 29. Spring break. Back Tuesday, March 30.
• 2.5-day weekend: Saturday, May 15 to Sunday, May 16. A regular weekend. Monday, May 17, an early release day.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, May 29 to Monday, May 31. Memorial Day. Back Tuesday, June 1.

Two early releases on a Friday or Monday make a 2.5-day weekend.

Weeks with fewer than five school days

Fourteen weeks have fewer than five school days, and two weeks have none at all.

Teacher workdays: no school for students

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

• Friday, Oct. 16: staff workday (no school)
• Wednesday, Oct. 28: staff professional learning day (no school)
• Tuesday, Jan. 19: staff workday (no school)
• Wednesday, Feb. 3: staff professional learning day (no school)

Makeup days

Inclement weather day (if needed), Wednesday, June 9, Inclement weather day (if needed), Thursday, June 10, Inclement weather day (if needed), Friday, June 11, Inclement weather day (if needed), Monday, June 14, Inclement weather day (if needed), Tuesday, June 15 and Inclement weather day (if needed), Wednesday, June 16.

Also worth knowing

• School is open on some federal holidays: Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 12) and Veterans Day (Wednesday, Nov. 11). Banks, post offices and many offices close; school does not.
• The HCPSS academic calendar prints no testing windows.
• The last day can move. As late as June 16 if inclement weather days are used (June 9 to 11 and June 14 to 16 may be used). The planned last day is Tuesday, June 8; it can fall from Tuesday, June 8 to Wednesday, June 16.
• After the last day, the calendar still shows Juneteenth (observed) (June 18) and Independence Day (observed) (July 5). Students are already out.

First and last day of school

The first day of school is Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. The last day is Tuesday, June 8, 2027, with early dismissal, as planned. It can fall anywhere from Tuesday, June 8 to Wednesday, June 16: as late as June 16 if inclement weather days are used (June 9 to 11 and June 14 to 16 may be used).

What the district notes

• Half-day pre-K and RECC classes do not meet on any day schools close 3 hours early.
• Pre-K and RECC students start on Thursday, Aug. 27, three days after K-12 students.
• If inclement weather days are used, the early dismissals on June 7 and 8 may become full days, and school runs into June 9 to 11 and June 14 to 16 as needed. HCPSS announces the actual last day toward the end of the school year.
• Quarter ends on the district's online calendar: 1st quarter Oct. 27, 2nd quarter Jan. 15, 3rd quarter April 7. Report cards are issued Nov. 6, Jan. 26 and April 16.
• Days marked with an asterisk (Labor Day, Election Day, Thanksgiving, winter break, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, spring break, Memorial Day) are state-mandated public school holidays.
• HCPSS says the PDF is accurate as of July 31, 2026, the calendar is subject to change, and the online calendar is the most up-to-date version.

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 each one against the HCPSS System Calendar page, the HCPSS 2026-2027 Key Dates list and the HCPSS online academic calendar.

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