| Event | Date(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| First Day of School | August 11, 2026 (Tue) | School Opens |
| Labor Day | September 7, 2026 (Mon) | No School |
| No School for Students | October 16, 2026 (Fri) | No School |
| Veterans Day | November 11, 2026 (Wed) | No School |
| Fall Break | November 23, 2026 - November 27, 2026 | No School |
| Winter Break | December 21, 2026 - January 5, 2027 | No School |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18, 2027 (Mon) | No School |
| Presidents' Day | February 15, 2027 (Mon) | No School |
| Spring Break | March 15, 2027 - March 19, 2027 | No School |
| Good Friday | March 26, 2027 (Fri) | No School |
| Last Day of School | May 27, 2027 (Thu) | School Closes |
Complete month-by-month calendar for Polk County Public Schools. Every day is color-coded so you can see school days, holidays, and breaks at a glance.
Polk County Public Schools serves approximately 115,000 students in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, and surrounding Central Florida communities. Polk County Public Schools is the sixth-largest district in Florida, serving students across a diverse mix of urban and rural communities in the heart of the state. The district operates over 150 schools and offers extensive choice and magnet programs, including STEM academies, International Baccalaureate (IB), and career and technical education.
Polk County also operates the Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School in partnership with Polk State College, where students can earn an Associate's degree alongside their high school diploma. The district observes an extended Fall Break starting November 23.
County context: Polk County Public Schools serves families in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, and surrounding Central Florida communities. For 2026-2027, students are scheduled to start on August 11, 2026 and finish on May 27, 2027. The main family planning blocks are Fall Break (November 23, 2026 - November 27, 2026), Winter Break (December 21, 2026 - January 5, 2027), and Spring Break (March 15, 2027 - March 19, 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 Fall Break (November 23, 2026 - November 27, 2026) and Good Friday (March 26, 2027). Early release or half-day entries to watch include Early Dismissal (September 4, 2026), Early Dismissal (October 2, 2026), Early Dismissal (October 30, 2026), and Early Dismissal (November 20, 2026). Teacher planning days and student holidays are separated from regular school days whenever the official source identifies them. 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 Polk County Public Schools 2026-2027 Instructional Calendar revised for February 24, 2026 School Board approval. 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 all Polk County students is Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Spring Break runs from Monday, March 15 through Friday, March 19, 2027. Students return the following Monday.
The last day of school for the 2026-2027 year is Thursday, May 27, 2027. Students are dismissed early.
Polk County Public Schools has designated makeup days built into the calendar. For 2026-2027, Nov 23-24, Jan 5, and May 27 are storm makeup days as needed.
Florida's FAST assessments are administered in three windows: fall (September), midyear (January), and spring (April–May). Polk County Public Schools follows the statewide testing calendar set by the Florida Department of Education.
Data Source: This calendar is compiled from the official Polk County Public Schools 2026-2027 Instructional Calendar revised for February 24, 2026 School Board approval.
Official Source: Visit the Polk 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 Polk 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: May 21, 2026