School holidays in the United States
In the United States, an academic year typically has a duration of approximately 180[1] school days for students from years K–12, running from the early (Northern Hemisphere) fall to early summer. Colleges and universities often have shorter years. School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which schools are closed.
| School holidays in the United States | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Schools in the United States |
Public schools for grades K–12 typically have the following vacations and holidays:
- All federal and state holidays.
- Thanksgiving – Fourth Thursday in November. Usually Black Friday is also a holiday marked "Day After Thanksgiving" and the Wednesday before is often a holiday or early-dismissal day. Some schools give students the entire fourth week of November off. Thanksgiving occurs between November 22 and November 28, always on Thursday, depending on the year:
- If the year is a common year starting on Sunday or leap year starting on Saturday, Thanksgiving is on November 23 and Black Friday is on November 24.
- If the year is a common year starting on Monday or leap year starting on Sunday, Thanksgiving is on November 22 and Black Friday is on November 23.
- If the year is a common year starting on Tuesday or leap year starting on Monday, Thanksgiving is on November 28 and Black Friday is on November 29.
- If the year is a common year starting on Wednesday or leap year starting on Tuesday, Thanksgiving is on November 27 and Black Friday is on November 28.
- If the year is a common year starting on Thursday or leap year starting on Wednesday, Thanksgiving is on November 26 and Black Friday is on November 27.
- If the year is a common year starting on Friday or leap year starting on Thursday, Thanksgiving is on November 25 and Black Friday is on November 26.
- If the year is a common year starting on Saturday or leap year starting on Friday, Thanksgiving is on November 24 and Black Friday is on November 25.
- Christmas/Holiday break – Typically there are no classes on Christmas Eve and January 1st(or the Friday before when December 23 falls on a weekend or Monday) might be a half-day. The break lasts until the first weekday in January after New Year's Day. In years where January 1 falls on a Sunday (such as 2017), New Year's Day is federally celebrated on Monday and classes resume on Tuesday, January 3. When January 1 falls on a Thursday, there is no school on Friday, January 2 (as hardly anyone would show up to school for a one day week) and classes resume on Monday, January 5. Some areas include the entirety of the Christmas and New Year's week for a 2-week vacation.
- Fall break (not taken in all parts of the country) – 1–2 weeks in September or October, sometimes coinciding with Labor Day.
- Winter break (not taken in all parts of the country) – 1 week in February or early March, sometimes coinciding with Presidents' Day.
- Spring break – 1 week in late March or April (usually around Easter).
- Summer break – Around 10–11 weeks, either from the end of May to early August, early June to Mid-August, or the end of June to the day after Labor Day in early September – depending on region and state. Students with disabilities may receive special education services during the summer as mentioned in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The break includes Independence Day.
- Religious holidays such as Good Friday, Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, Hindu holidays, Chinese holidays such as Chinese New Year, and Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr – depending on school or neighborhood demographics or district regulations.
- Many public schools also have Teacher's Day Off/In-Service (Convention)/Professional Day 2 or 3 days per year, usually devoted to professional development, while others allot time for this to occur on a weekly or monthly basis. Many schools now have one of these days on Election Day to avoid having students and the public in the school at the same time.
Schools offering voluntary summer camp also observe a holiday on Independence Day, though the regular school year generally includes this holiday as part of the larger summer break.
Most colleges and universities have the following breaks/holidays:
- Thanksgiving holiday – End of November (Thanksgiving & Day after, and most often also the preceding Wednesday).
- Christmas/Holiday and winter break – December 23 to mid/end of January (winter term classes might be offered after New Year).
- Spring break – one week in March or April, usually following Easter or Patriots' Day, and involving warm-weather trip traditions.
- Summer break – Early/mid of May to day after Labor day in early September (summer term classes might be offered).
- Major federal and state holidays (Private may observe religious holidays) (such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Indigenous Peoples Day).
Most colleges and universities divide the school year into two semesters. The fall semester often begins the day after Labor Day in early September and runs until mid-December. The spring semester typically starts in the middle or end of January and runs until May. Winter and summer classes might be offered in January and May–August. Some schools will do eLearning, whereby students can call each other over the internet or log on to a website to carry out web-based class meetings.
Sources
- "School Holidays in the United States." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2016.