| Event | Date(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Student Holiday | August 8, 2025 (Fri) | No School |
| First Day of School | August 11, 2025 (Mon) | School Opens |
| Labor Day | September 1, 2025 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | October 17, 2025 (Fri) | No School |
| Veterans Day | November 11, 2025 (Tue) | No School |
| Thanksgiving Break | November 24, 2025 - November 28, 2025 | No School |
| Winter Break | December 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026 | No School |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 19, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Florida State Fair Day | February 13, 2026 (Fri) | No School |
| Presidents' Day | February 16, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Hillsborough County Strawberry Festival Day | March 2, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Spring Break | March 16, 2026 - March 20, 2026 | No School |
| Memorial Day | May 25, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| Last Day of School | May 29, 2026 (Fri) | School Closes |
Complete month-by-month calendar for Hillsborough County Public Schools. Every day is color-coded so you can see school days, holidays, and breaks at a glance.
The Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is the seventh-largest school district in the nation and the third-largest in Florida, serving approximately 230,000 students across more than 260 schools in the Tampa Bay area. The district encompasses urban, suburban, and rural communities spanning over 1,000 square miles — from downtown Tampa to the strawberry farms of Plant City and the cow pastures of eastern Hillsborough.
HCPS's calendar reflects its unique local heritage: students enjoy days off for the Florida State Fair (February) and the Florida Strawberry Festival (March) — holidays found in virtually no other district in the country. The district also runs a robust magnet program system, International Baccalaureate schools, and career and technical education academies in healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing.
Hillsborough designates several hurricane makeup days (including Veterans Day and days adjacent to Thanksgiving) that may be converted to school days if instructional time is lost to severe weather. Parents should watch the HCPS website for storm-related schedule changes.
County context: Hillsborough County Public Schools serves families in more than 260 schools in the Tampa Bay area. For 2025-2026, students are scheduled to start on August 11, 2025 and finish on May 29, 2026. The main family planning blocks are Thanksgiving Break (November 24, 2025 - November 28, 2025), Winter Break (December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026), and Spring Break (March 16, 2026 - March 20, 2026). 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 Florida State Fair Day (February 13, 2026), Hillsborough County Strawberry Festival Day (March 2, 2026), Non-Student Day (January 5, 2026 (Mon)), and Strawberry Festival Day (March 2, 2026 (Mon)). Early release or half-day entries to watch include Last Day of School (2.5-hr Early Release) (May 29, 2026 (Fri)). Teacher workdays, planning days, or student holidays are separated from regular school days, including Teacher Pre-Planning (August 8, 2025), Teacher Planning Day (No School) (October 17, 2025), and Teacher Planning Day (No School) (January 5, 2026). 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 Hillsborough County Public Schools academic calendar published on hillsboroughschools.org. 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 is Monday, August 11, 2025.
Spring Break runs from March 16–20, 2026. Students return on March 24 (March 23 is a non-student day).
Florida State Fair Day (February 13, 2026) is a unique non-student day specific to Hillsborough County. The Florida State Fair is held annually in Tampa, and the district gives students the day off to attend. This holiday does not exist in other Florida counties.
Strawberry Festival Day (March 2, 2026) is another Hillsborough County–specific holiday. The Florida Strawberry Festival takes place in Plant City, a major agricultural community within the county, and students receive the day off to attend.
Hillsborough designates several hurricane makeup days: November 11 (Veterans Day), November 24–26 (Fall Break days), and January 5. If instructional days are lost to severe weather, these holidays may be converted into regular school days.
The last day of school is Friday, May 29, 2026, with a 2.5-hour early release.
Yes. Hillsborough schedules regular early release days for professional development. The last day of school also features a 2.5-hour early release. The specific weekly early release schedule is published on the district’s official website.
Data Source: This calendar is compiled from the official Hillsborough County Public Schools academic calendar published on hillsboroughschools.org.
Official Source: Visit the Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County Public Schools 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: March 18, 2026