29 days Fairfax County families need a plan for
Fairfax County (VA) has 29 weekdays in the 2026-27 school year when school is closed or lets out early, not counting federal holidays. That is 3 more than the median of 26 across the 30 largest US districts. School runs from August 24, 2026 to June 16, 2027.
Plan your year
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Every day off, in order (25)
Fri, Sep 4: Labor Day Break
Mon, Sep 21: Yom Kippur (Student Holiday)
Mon, Nov 2: School Planning Day / Student Holiday
Tue, Nov 3: Election Day (Teacher Workday / Student Holiday)
Wed, Nov 25: Thanksgiving Break
Fri, Nov 27: Thanksgiving Break
Mon, Dec 21: Winter Break
Tue, Dec 22: Winter Break
Wed, Dec 23: Winter Break
Thu, Dec 24: Winter Break
Mon, Dec 28: Winter Break
Tue, Dec 29: Winter Break
Wed, Dec 30: Winter Break
Thu, Dec 31: Winter Break
Fri, Jan 29: Teacher Workday / Student Holiday
Mon, Feb 1: Staff Development Day / Student Holiday
Wed, Mar 10: Eid al-Fitr (Student Holiday)
Mon, Mar 22: Spring Break
Tue, Mar 23: Spring Break
Wed, Mar 24: Spring Break
Thu, Mar 25: Spring Break
Fri, Mar 26: Spring Break (Good Friday)
Mon, Apr 19: Teacher Workday / Student Holiday
Tue, Apr 20: Staff Development Day / Student Holiday
Mon, May 17: Eid al-Adha (Student Holiday)
Early release days
Fri, Oct 30: End of the Quarter / 2 Hour Student Early Release
Thu, Jan 28: End of the Quarter / 2 Hour Student Early Release
Fri, Apr 16: End of the Quarter / 2 Hour Student Early Release
Wed, Jun 16: Last Day for Regular Classes / Early Release
How we counted, and where this comes from
We read the official Fairfax County 2026-27 calendar on October 4, 2026: https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2026-05/2026-2027-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf. A day counts when school is closed for all students on a weekday, or the whole district lets students out early. Holidays that almost every employer observes (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Memorial Day) are never counted. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day and Presidents’ Day count as holidays only when the district closes school for that holiday by name, because many employers stay open. That left 8 holidays out of the count here. Eid al-Fitr (Mar 10) and Eid al-Adha (May 17) may move with the lunar calendar, Veterans Day (Nov 11) is a regular school day, and elementary schools also have 3-hour 'Limited Early Release Wednesdays' on dates each school announces (not on the district calendar). Calendars change and some days vary by school, so check with your school before you book childcare.