PAUSD school calendar 2026 to 2027

Palo Alto Unified runs one calendar for all of its schools, from the 12 elementary schools to Paly, Gunn and Palo Alto Middle College. Breaks line up across every campus, which helps families with children at more than one school. The year starts in mid-August, earlier than many districts on the East Coast. It ends in the first days of June.

The dates below come from the printable 2026 to 2027 calendar linked from the district's calendar page, as it read on November 2, 2026. The PDF is produced by the district's human resources office. Schools add their own events, such as back to school nights and conferences, so check your school's site as well. For an overview of the district itself, see our public schools guide.

Key dates at a glance

The calendar counts 180 instructional days. By month that works out to 13 days in August, 21 in September, 21 in October, 15 in November, 14 in December, 18 in January, 18 in February, 21 in March, 16 in April, 20 in May and 3 in June.

Fall 2026

Teachers come back the week of August 10 for a district day, a work day and a staff development day. Students start on Thursday, August 13, which gives everyone a short first week before the first full one.

The first no-school day is Labor Day on September 7. Friday, October 2 is a staff development day, so students get a three-day weekend. Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday this year, which breaks up that week.

Kindergarten starts on a shorter day

The calendar marks Monday, October 19 as the first day of full-day kindergarten. Kindergartners attend from the first day of school, but their days are shorter until then. Your school will send the exact dismissal time. Families who need care for those early weeks should line it up before August. Our after-school programs guide lists the providers on each campus.

Thanksgiving week

PAUSD closes for the whole week of Thanksgiving, November 23 to 27. Thanksgiving Day itself is November 26. The Friday before the break, November 20, is an early release day.

Winter break and January

Winter break starts Monday, December 21, 2026. The calendar shows January 4 as a staff development day for K to 8 teachers and a work day for high school teachers, so students return on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. That makes the break two full weeks plus one extra day for students.

December 18 is the last school day of 2026 and an early release day. For secondary students it also closes the first semester, which runs 84 days. Planning a trip around the holidays? Our holiday season guide covers what is going on in town while school is out.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18 is the only other closure in January.

Spring 2027

Spring brings several long weekends, which is one of the less obvious features of the PAUSD calendar:

• February 12 to 15: a local holiday on Friday plus Washington's Birthday on Monday make a four-day weekend.
• March 13 to 16: a local holiday on Monday, March 15 plus a staff development day on Tuesday, March 16 give students four days off in a row.
• April 5 to 9: spring break, with an early release day on Friday, April 2 just before it.
• April 30: a local holiday on a Friday, three weeks after spring break.
• May 31: Memorial Day.

The year ends on Thursday, June 3, 2027. The last three days of school, June 1 to 3, are all early release days. Teachers have a work day on Friday, June 4.

Early release days

The legend on the district calendar calls these "All Schools Early Release Day". For 2026 to 2027 they fall on:

1. Friday, September 4, 2026
2. Friday, October 30, 2026
3. Friday, November 20, 2026
4. Friday, December 18, 2026
5. Friday, April 2, 2027
6. Tuesday, June 1, 2027
7. Wednesday, June 2, 2027
8. Thursday, June 3, 2027, the last day

Dismissal times are set by each school and differ between elementary, middle and high schools. Look up your school's bell schedule for the early release time. Paly and Gunn post theirs on their school sites. After-school providers usually open earlier on these days, but confirm with yours.

Grading periods

Elementary schools report on trimesters. Middle and high schools work in quarters and semesters. The calendar lists these end dates:

The 2027 to 2028 calendar

The district's calendar page already links a printable 2027 to 2028 calendar. It follows the same pattern as this year. Here are its main dates as posted:

• First day: Thursday, August 12, 2027.
• Full-day kindergarten begins: Monday, October 18, 2027.
• Thanksgiving break: November 22 to 26, 2027.
• Winter break: December 20, 2027 to January 3, 2028, with students back on Tuesday, January 4.
• Long weekends: February 18 to 21 and March 13 to 14, 2028, plus a local holiday on April 28.
• Spring break: April 3 to 7, 2028.
• Last day: Thursday, June 1, 2028.

Early release days on the 2027 to 2028 calendar are September 3, October 29, November 19 and December 17, 2027 and March 10, March 31, May 30, May 31 and June 1, 2028. The text list on that PDF gives Memorial Day as May 27, but the grid marks Monday, May 29, 2028, which is the actual holiday. Small slips like that are a reason to recheck the calendar closer to the date.

Using the calendar

A few tips from how the calendar works in practice:

• Subscribe instead of copying. The district calendar page explains how to subscribe to its online calendars, which include board meetings and committee meetings as well as no-school days.
• Watch the school's own calendar. Conferences, testing days and minimum days for individual schools are posted by each campus. High schools post AP exam schedules separately.
• Book travel around staff days. Staff development days are no-school days for students, even though they are not holidays.
• Plan care early. City camps fill quickly for the longer breaks. The City of Palo Alto's Enjoy! catalog opens winter registration on December 3, 2026 for residents. Our guide to Palo Alto with kids has ideas for days off.

New to the district? Our enrollment guide explains registration and our kindergarten registration guide covers the winter sign-up window for next year.

Frequently asked questions