Knox County Schools Calendar 2026-27

The KCS 2026-27 calendar

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

Add the KCS 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.

KCS vacations and holidays, 2026-27

Every day with no school for students, from the first day to the last: 12 entries and 31 weekdays in all.

KCS early release days

Seven early release days in all.

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.
• 9 days off in a row: Saturday, Oct. 3 to Sunday, Oct. 11. Fall break. Back Monday, Oct. 12.
• 5-day weekend: Wednesday, Nov. 25 to Sunday, Nov. 29. Thanksgiving break. Back Monday, Nov. 30.
• 17.5 days off in a row: Friday, Dec. 18 at early dismissal to Monday, Jan. 4. Half day, end of first semester, winter break and In-service day (no school for students). Back Tuesday, Jan. 5.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Jan. 16 to Monday, Jan. 18. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Back Tuesday, Jan. 19.
• 3-day weekend: Saturday, Feb. 13 to Monday, Feb. 15. In-service day (no school for students). Back Tuesday, Feb. 16.
• 9 days off in a row: Saturday, March 6 to Sunday, March 14. Spring break. Back Monday, March 15.
• 4-day weekend: Friday, March 26 to Monday, March 29. Holiday. Back Tuesday, March 30.

Weeks with fewer than five school days

Ten weeks have fewer than five school days, and four 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.

• Tuesday, Nov. 3: In-service day (no school for students)
• Monday, Jan. 4: In-service day (no school for students)
• Monday, Feb. 15: In-service day (no school for students)
• Wednesday, April 7: In-service day (no school for students)

Makeup days

The calendar names no makeup days. It allows up to 8 instructional days to be canceled for bad weather or illness outbreaks before any makeup days are required. If school closes for weather, the district announces how the day is made up.

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 calendar dates no parent-teacher conference days. Its summary counts one unscheduled parent-teacher contact hours day. Schools set their own.
• The calendar prints no testing windows.
• After the last day, the calendar still shows teacher workday (May 27) and Juneteenth (June 18). Students are already out.

First and last day of school

The first day of school is Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. The last day is Wednesday, May 26, 2027, with early dismissal.

Teachers start sooner. Staff days before school run Aug. 3 to 7.

Grading periods

KCS grades in nine-week periods; the first semester ends Dec. 18 and the second May 26. The calendar also marks the middle of each period ("End 4 1/2-weeks Grading Period") on Sept. 9, Nov. 17, Feb. 5 and April 23.

What the district notes

• Thursday, Sept. 17 is Constitution Day. Schools are open.
• Friday, Aug. 7 is orientation for 6th and 9th graders, the last teacher day before the first day of school.
• The calendar counts 180 instructional days: 177 student days plus 3 days accumulated under the daily 7-hour schedule (T.C.A. 49-6-3004).
• Students return from winter break on Tuesday, Jan. 5, a full day.

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, line by line. Then we checked each one against the KCS calendar page and the KCS events calendar.

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