Houston Independent School District Calendar 2026–2027
Complete holiday schedule and key dates for Houston Independent School District for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Key Dates
| Event | Date(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| First Day of School | August 10, 2026 (Mon) | School Opens |
| Labor Day | September 7, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | September 21, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | October 9, 2026 (Fri) | No School |
| Student Holiday | November 6, 2026 (Fri) | No School |
| Thanksgiving Break | November 23, 2026 - November 27, 2026 | No School |
| Winter Break | December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027 | No School |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18, 2027 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | February 15, 2027 (Mon) | No School |
| Spring Break | March 8, 2027 - March 12, 2027 | No School |
| Recess (No Classes) | March 26, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Student Holiday | April 16, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Last Day of School | May 28, 2027 (Fri) | School Closes |
Monthly Calendar TexasSchoolCalendar.com
View the full 2026-2027 school year by month.
Calendar Notes
District context: Houston Independent School District serves Greater Houston families, where the district calendar is the practical baseline for school-year planning. For 2026-2027, students are scheduled to start on August 10, 2026 and finish on May 28, 2027. The main family planning blocks are Thanksgiving Break (November 23, 2026 - November 27, 2026), Winter Break (December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027), and Spring Break (March 8, 2027 - March 12, 2027). Parents can use this view for travel windows, shared-custody exchanges, childcare coverage, after-school activities, and comparing district days off with work schedules.
What to watch: Notable local calendar items include Spring Break (March 8, 2027 - March 12, 2027). No recurring early-release entry is listed in the student-facing data used for this page. Teacher workdays, planning days, or student holidays are separated from regular school days, including Staff PD Day (No Classes) (September 21, 2026), Staff PD Day (No Classes) (October 9, 2026), Staff PD Day (No Classes) (November 6, 2026), and Staff PD Day (No Classes) (February 15, 2027). If bad weather or emergency closures later change the calendar, families should compare this page with the district source before making travel, attendance, or childcare plans.
Official-source handling: Dates are from the Houston ISD 2026-2027 Yearly Calendar, updated April 6, 2026. We manually review first-party district material, screen it for student-facing dates, and organize it into key dates, calendar grids, downloadable files, and printable summaries. Because this page is marked official, families can use it as the main planning view while still checking the district source for late revisions. User-submitted corrections are checked against official district sources before this page is updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first day of school for Houston ISD students is August 10, 2026.
Houston ISD Spring Break is March 8-12, 2027.
The last day for Houston ISD students is May 28, 2027.
Houston ISD Winter Break runs from December 21, 2026 through January 4, 2027 — that's 11 school days off. Including the adjacent weekends, families have up to 17 consecutive days for holiday travel and family time. Students return to class on Tuesday, January 5, 2027.
Houston ISD Thanksgiving Break is November 23, 2026 through November 27, 2026, giving students 5 weekdays off. With the surrounding weekends, families get 9 consecutive days away from school — enough time for out-of-state travel or extended family gatherings.
The Houston ISD 2026-2027 official calendar does not list specific bad-weather make-up days. If school closures occur due to severe weather, the district typically announces make-up plans through its website, social media, and campus communication channels. Texas districts may add days to the end of the school year or convert scheduled holidays into instructional days to meet the state's required 75,600 minutes of instruction.
Houston ISD schedules 6 teacher-only or professional development days during 2026-2027 when students do not attend. These include: September 21, 2026 (Staff PD Day (No Classes)); October 9, 2026 (Staff PD Day (No Classes)); November 6, 2026 (Staff PD Day (No Classes)); February 15, 2027 (Staff PD Day (No Classes)). On these days, teachers participate in training and curriculum planning while students have the day off. Parents should arrange childcare if needed, as after-school programs may also be closed.
Between the first day (August 10, 2026) and last day (May 28, 2027), Houston ISD students have approximately 29 weekdays off for holidays, breaks, and teacher workdays. That leaves roughly 181 potential instructional days across the school year. Texas requires a minimum of 75,600 minutes of instruction, which most districts meet through approximately 170-180 student days.
Houston ISD students return to class on Tuesday, January 5, 2027 after Winter Break. The second semester typically begins on this date. Make sure your children's school supplies are restocked and any required forms are submitted before the return date. Check with your campus for any orientation or welcome-back activities.
You can sync the Houston ISD calendar directly to your phone using the buttons at the top of this page. Tap "Google Cal" to add all key dates to Google Calendar, or tap "Apple Cal" to subscribe via iCal on iPhone. You can also download the .ics file and import it into Outlook or any calendar app. Once synced, holidays, breaks, and early release days will appear automatically alongside your personal events.
Related Links
About This Calendar
Data Source: Houston ISD 2026-2027 Yearly Calendar PDF.
Disclaimer: This website is not affiliated with Houston Independent School District, the Texas Education Agency, or any official district body. While we strive for accuracy, always verify important dates with the official district website.