The overview
TISD officials said the 187-day calendar is “instructionally sound” and has semesters similar in length. The 2026-27 academic calendar features a five-day break in October, no holidays before state testing and maintains a familiar routine around testing times. Additionally, staff and students will have time off on the Monday before Election Day and on Election Day in November 2026.
Under the new calendar, classes will start Aug. 18, a week later than the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, and end May 27. Similarly, spring break will take place a week later than in 2025-26, running from March 15-19 to align with Lone Star College’s proposed schedule.
Officials also noted the importance of offering staff development throughout the school year, which Karen Graves, TISD director of administrative services, said sets the district apart.
“Some districts will put a lot of staff development days at the beginning of the school year, or they’ll put them at the end,” Graves said. “We feel like it’s important to do it throughout the year because that gives teachers a chance to collaborate, look at data and see the progress of their students when they’re planning for the next nine weeks.”
A closer look
According to the approved calendar, for the 2026-27 school year, the breaks will fall on the following dates:
- Thanksgiving break: Nov. 23-27, 2026
- Winter break: Dec. 21, 2026-Jan. 1, 2027
- Spring break: March 15-19, 2026
- Labor Day: Sept. 7, 2026
- Staff workdays: Oct. 8-9, 12, 2026; Nov. 2-3, 2026; Jan. 4-5, 2027; Feb. 12, 2027; March 12, 2027
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Jan. 18, 2027
- Good Friday: March 26, 2027
