Students at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walt Whitman and Walter Johnson high schools head back to class Tuesday, Aug. 25, and MCPS has posted the full 2026-2027 academic calendar with every date families need to plan around.

The district published the calendar Monday, Aug. 10, in a new color-coded, accessible format that replaces the old month-view grid, Montgomery Community Media reporter Rachel Di Resta reported. The 181-day calendar is designed to improve readability for users with visual impairments. Incoming kindergartners, first-graders, sixth-graders, ninth-graders and students new to MCPS get a head start on Monday, Aug. 24, a transition day to orient them in their new buildings before the full student body arrives.

Marking periods and breaks

The four marking periods end Oct. 30, Jan. 22, April 9 and June 11. Report cards go home roughly two weeks after each close.

Winter break runs Thursday, Dec. 24, through Friday, Jan. 1. The last school day before break, Wednesday, Dec. 23, is an early release. Spring break spans March 26 through April 2.

Thanksgiving week brings early-release days Monday through Monday, Nov. 23-25, followed by no school Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27.

Days off and early releases

Other no-school days include Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7), a non-instructional day (Monday, Sept. 21), professional development (Friday, Oct. 16), Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3), MLK Day (Monday, Jan. 18) and Presidents Day (Monday, Feb. 15). A non-instructional day aligned with Eid al-Fitr falls on Tuesday, March 9.

Weather make-up days built in

After last winter's repeated snow-day scrambles forced multiple rounds of schedule changes, the Board of Education approved six designated make-up days: April 22, May 17 and June 14-17. If no weather cancellations occur, those dates stay as days off. As we reported Aug. 7, the board added the contingency dates after a districtwide survey drew more than 30,000 responses from families and staff.

Last day of school

The year wraps up Thursday, June 11, an early-release day, though MCPS notes that date is subject to change if make-up days are used.

The full calendar is available as a PDF on the MCPS website. The next Board of Education business meeting is Thursday, Aug. 20, at 4 p.m.