School District of Philadelphia announces 2025- 2026, 2026-2027 academic calendars

The academic calendars will have five national holidays and a minimum of 180 student days or 990 instructional hours for elementary school students and 990 hours for middle and high school students.

2025-2026 academic calendar:

• The first day of school will be Monday, August 25, 2025 and the last day of school will be June 12, 2026. 
• Holidays observed as days off will include:
  • Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veteran’s Day, MLK Jr. Day, President’s Day, Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Eid al-Adha, and Juneteenth.
• Winter break will be from December 24, 2025, through January 5, 2026.
  • Staff will return for a full day professional development on January 2, 2025.
• Spring break will be from March 30, 2026 through April 5, 2025. 

2026-2027 academic calendar:

• The first day of school will be Monday, August 24, 2026 and the last day of school will be June 10, 2027. 
• Holidays observed as days off will include:
  • Labor Day, Yom Kippur, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veteran’s Day, MLK Jr. Day, President’s Day, Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Eid al-Adha, and Juneteenth. Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year fall on weekends.
• Winter break will be from December 23, 2026 through January 4, 2027. 
• Spring break will be from March 22, 2027 through March 29, 2027. 

School District of Philadelphia says they will be:

• Providing five full days of staff professional learning before the first day of school to ensure that staff are equipped to implement District priorities. 
• Engaging staff in professional development on a more regular cadence in alignment with the new curriculum.
• Ensuring longest possible Winter and Spring recesses for students and staff to recharge and reduce feelings of burnout. 
• Prioritizing equity and inclusivity by observing cultural and religious holidays that fall on weekdays as days off.

“In developing the academic calendars, our primary goal was to establish a calendar that supports student learning and meets the diverse needs of students, families and staff, while also adhering to calendar requirements mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Collective Bargaining Units,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D., Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.

The calendars can be found HERE.