| Event | Date(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| First Day of School | August 11, 2026 (Tue) | School Opens |
| Labor Day | September 7, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | October 16, 2026 (Fri) | No School |
| Thanksgiving Break | November 21, 2026 - November 29, 2026 | No School |
| Winter Break | December 23, 2026 - January 8, 2027 | No School |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18, 2027 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | February 12, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Spring Break | March 13, 2027 - March 21, 2027 | No School |
| Student Holiday | March 26, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Student Holiday | April 23, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Last Day of School | May 27, 2027 (Thu) | School Closes |
Complete month-by-month calendar for Highlands County Public Schools. Every day is color-coded so you can see school days, holidays, and breaks at a glance.
The School Board of Highlands County starts the official 2026-2027 student calendar on August 11, 2026 and ends with an early release on May 27, 2027. The calendar includes Thanksgiving Break on November 21-29, Winter Break on December 23-January 6, and Spring Break on March 13-21.
County context: Highlands County School District serves families across Highlands County, where the district calendar is the practical baseline for school-year planning. For 2026-2027, students are scheduled to start on August 11, 2026 and finish on May 27, 2027. The main family planning blocks are Thanksgiving Break (November 21, 2026 - November 29, 2026), Winter Break (December 23, 2026 - January 6, 2027), and Spring Break (March 13, 2027 - March 21, 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 End of nine weeks (October 9, 2026) and Possible hurricane make-up student contact day (October 16, 2026). Early release or half-day entries to watch include Early Release (TWD) (August 26, 2026), Early Release (PD) (September 23, 2026), Early Release (TWD) (October 15, 2026), and Early Release / End of nine weeks (semester) (December 22, 2026). Teacher workdays, planning days, or student holidays are separated from regular school days, including Student Holiday / Teacher Workday (October 16, 2026), Student Holiday / Teacher Workday (January 7, 2027), Student Holiday / Professional Development (January 8, 2027), and Student Holiday / Teacher Workday (February 12, 2027). Weather or makeup-day language is preserved in the page notes when the district publishes it, which matters for hurricane-season planning and emergency childcare coverage.
Official-source handling: This calendar is compiled from the official School Board of Highlands County 2026-2027 calendar approved on October 7, 2025. 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.
The first day of school for Highlands County students is August 11, 2026.
Winter Break runs from December 23, 2026 through January 6, 2027. January 7 and January 8 are student holidays for teacher workday/professional development.
Spring Break runs from March 13 through March 21, 2027.
The last day for students is May 27, 2027, and the official calendar marks it as an early release and end-of-nine-weeks day.
The official calendar designates make-up rules if needed: most early release days may become full days, except December 22 and May 27; October 16, January 7-8, and April 23 may become student contact days.
Yes. The official calendar marks early release on August 26, September 23, October 15, December 22, February 11, and May 27.
Data Source: This calendar is compiled from the official School Board of Highlands County 2026-2027 calendar approved on October 7, 2025.
Official Source: Visit the Highlands County official calendar source.
How we adapt the calendar: FL School Calendar converts district calendar documents into a parent-friendly view focused on student attendance, holidays, breaks, teacher planning days, early releases, downloadable calendar files, and printable summaries.
Disclaimer: This website is not affiliated with Highlands County School District or the Florida Department of Education. While we strive for accuracy, always verify important dates with the official district website before making travel, childcare, work, or attendance plans.
Last updated: May 22, 2026