| Event | Date(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| First Day of School | August 10, 2028 (Thu) | School Opens |
| Labor Day | September 4, 2028 (Mon) | No School |
| Student Holiday | October 13, 2028 (Fri) | No School |
| Veterans Day (Observed) | November 10, 2028 (Fri) | No School |
| Fall Break (Thanksgiving) | November 20, 2028 - November 24, 2028 | No School |
| Winter Break | December 18, 2028 - January 3, 2029 | No School |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 15, 2029 (Mon) | No School |
| Presidents' Day | February 19, 2029 (Mon) | No School |
| Spring Break | March 12, 2029 - March 16, 2029 | No School |
| No School for Students | March 30, 2029 (Fri) | No School |
| Memorial Day | May 28, 2029 (Mon) | No School |
| Last Day of School | May 30, 2029 (Wed) | School Closes |
| Student Holiday | May 31, 2029 (Thu) | No School |
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 2028-2029 Tentative Instructional Calendar, presented for February 24, 2026 School Board Approval. The district serves approximately 115,000 students across Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, and surrounding communities.
County context: Polk County Public Schools serves families across Polk County, where the district calendar is the practical baseline for school-year planning. For 2028-2029, students are scheduled to start on August 10, 2028 and finish on May 30, 2029. The main family planning blocks are Fall Break (Thanksgiving) (November 20, 2028 - November 24, 2028), Winter Break (December 18, 2028 - January 3, 2029), and Spring Break (March 12, 2029 - March 16, 2029). 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: The most important local differences from a generic statewide calendar are the district's own break placement, board-approved student holidays, and any campus-facing schedule notes published by the district. Early release or half-day entries to watch include Early Dismissal 1 (September 1, 2028), Early Dismissal 2 / End of 1st Quarter (45 days) (October 12, 2028), Early Dismissal 3 (October 27, 2028), and Early Dismissal 4 (November 17, 2028). Teacher workdays, planning days, or student holidays are separated from regular school days, including No School (Teacher Staff Dev) (October 13, 2028), Teacher Work Day (No School) (January 2, 2029), Teacher Staff Dev (No School) (January 3, 2029), and Last Teacher Work Day (May 31, 2029). If severe weather later changes the calendar, this page should be checked against the district source before families make travel, attendance, or childcare decisions.
Official-source handling: This calendar is compiled from the official Polk County Public Schools 2028-2029 Tentative Instructional Calendar presented for School Board approval on February 24, 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.
The first day of school for all Polk County students is Thursday, August 10, 2028.
Spring Break runs from Monday, March 12 through Friday, March 16, 2029.
The last day of school is Wednesday, May 30, 2029. Students are dismissed early.
Yes. Polk County schedules 10 early dismissal days: Sep 1, Oct 12, Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 12, Feb 16, Mar 9, Apr 27, and May 30, 2029.
Data Source: This calendar is compiled from the official Polk County Public Schools 2028-2029 Tentative Instructional Calendar presented for School Board approval on February 24, 2026.
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: April 4, 2026