Where is NYC’s 2026-27 public school calendar? Kamar Samuels says it’s coming next week.

“Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC’s public schools delivered to your inbox. New York City public school parents and educators eagerly awaiting to know next year’s first day of school will likely get the answer soon: Chancellor Kamar Samuels expects the school calendar to drop next week. “Everybody wants to know: When will the school calendar be released?” Randi Garay, the co-chair of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council, pressed Samuels Thursday morning. Samuels responded: “Feel confident saying by the end of next week.” Families and staff have yet to receive confirmation about the first day of the 2026-27 school year and the timing of holidays, making it difficult to plan summer camps or make child care arrangements. But most are expecting a late start to the school year. The first day of school for students is typically the Thursday after Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 10 this year. It’s on the later side since Sept. 1 is on a Tuesday, and it could mean many families will struggle with the longer stretch of post-Labor Day child care. This year’s calendar might bring other quirks that have made planning especially difficult for next school year. Students are unlikely to get off this year for the Jewish new year of Rosh Hashanah, which falls on the weekend of Sept. 11, just after the start of school. But they will likely have off on Sept. 21 for Yom Kippur, just after what is expected to be the first full week of the school year. The trickiest thing is that Easter and Passover are far apart in 2027, with Easter Sunday on March 28 and the first night of Passover on April 21. When these holidays were spread out in the 2023-24 school year, the Education Department ended up going back to the drawing board after releasing a calendar that sparked backlash. After giving Good Friday off, the city added a day after Easter Sunday. And after giving schools a weeklong spring break that coincided with most of Passover, the city ended up adding two more days for the last two days for the eight-day holiday. The timing of the school calendar’s release has varied widely over the past decade . Officials have often released it in March or April. In recent years, the calendar has come as late as the end of May, prompting loud complaints. Many other school districts, including Newark , Chicago , Boston , Philadelphia , and Los Angeles , have already published their 2026-27 calendars. The city recently experimented with releasing multiple years of calendars at once — after the teachers union fought for that . Samuels, however, said the city will only release one year at time, at least for now. “The calendar is coming out right on time,” Education Department spokesperson Nicole Brownstein wrote in an email. She called the prior decision to release multiple years at once “an anomaly.” Many observers will be watching closely to see how many days of class students will have. Under state rules, the city must offer 180 days of learning . This year, the city is on track to have only 175 days of instruction after the state gave the city permission to cancel a day of school due to a snowstorm on top of having four teacher professional development days that counted toward the state’s limit, as the rules allow. (Before Mayor Zohran Mamdani reinstated a snow day this year, the city’s post-pandemic approach during storms has been to pivot to virtual learning rather than canceling class.) In general, New York City students have fewer hours of instruction than average , largely because the 6 hour and 20 minute school day is shorter than what many other districts offer. Alex Zimmerman is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org . Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org .

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