HISD will suspend classes on Friday, November 6, 2026 for a staff professional development day. Thanksgiving break will run from November 23 to 27, and classes will end on May 28, 2027.
Updated on October 23, 2026.
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) will not have classes on Friday, November 6, 2026 due to a staff professional development day. Students will return to the classrooms on Monday, November 9, 2026, before the Thanksgiving break scheduled from November 23 to 27.
The 2026-27 school calendar also establishes the winter break from December 21 to December 31, a staff development day on January 4, and the return of students on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. Spring break will be March 8–12, and the last day of classes is planned for May 28, 2027.
HISD will not have classes on Friday, November 6
November 6 is designated as a Staff PD Day, a professional development day for staff. On that Friday there will be no classes for HISD students.
Regular academic activities will resume on Monday, November 9. The next break period will begin two weeks later, on Monday, November 23.
The revised HISD academic calendar for 2026-27 establishes the dates of the school year cycle, the teacher training days, grading periods, and breaks.
Upcoming days with no classes in HISD during 2026-27
The following dates correspond to the district’s general calendar as of October 23, 2026:
- November 6, 2026: staff development; no classes.
- November 23–27, 2026: Thanksgiving break.
- December 21–31, 2026: winter break.
- January 1, 2027: New Year’s Day; no classes.
- January 4, 2027: staff development; no classes.
- January 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
- February 15, 2027: staff development; no classes.
- March 8–12, 2027: spring break.
- March 26, 2027: recess day; no classes.
- April 16, 2027: staff development; no classes.
- May 28, 2027: last day of classes for students.
Thanksgiving break will be from November 23 to 27
HISD will suspend classes for five consecutive days, from Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27, 2026, for the Thanksgiving recess.
The Thanksgiving holiday will be on Thursday, November 26. Regular classes will resume on Monday, November 30, when the final weeks of instruction before the winter break will begin.
Classes will resume on January 5 after the winter break
HISD’s winter break will begin on Monday, December 21, 2026 and continue through Thursday, December 31. Friday, January 1 will be a New Year’s holiday.
Monday, January 4 will be reserved for staff development and professional development. Therefore the return of students will be Tuesday, January 5, 2027.
The last day of classes before the winter break will be Friday, December 18, which will also mark the end of the third grading period of the school year.
Spring break will be from March 8 to 12, 2027
HISD’s spring break will begin on Monday, March 8 and end on Friday, March 12, 2027. Classes will resume on Monday, March 15.
The calendar also includes a recess day on Friday, March 26 and a staff development day on Friday, April 16. On both dates there will be no classes for students.
The last day of classes for HISD will be May 28, 2027
The 2026-27 school year began on Monday, August 10, 2026 and will end for students on Friday, May 28, 2027.
The academic year is divided into six grading periods. The second will end on October 30 and the third will begin on November 2 and conclude on December 18. The remaining three periods will run from January 5 to February 19, from February 22 to April 15, and from April 19 to May 28, 2027.
The general calendar also includes activities of the summer program 5th Quarter after the regular school year ends. For teachers, the last day of the regular calendar is scheduled for June 1, 2027.
The HISD calendar does not apply to all districts in the Houston area
Dates correspond to the Houston Independent School District’s general academic calendar. Schools with special programs or calendars may operate with different dates.
Other area school districts, such as Katy ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, Aldine ISD, and Spring ISD, set their own class periods, training days, and vacations.
Related: Back to school in Houston: dates for HISD, Katy, Aldine, and other districts.
The Houston ISD calendar keeps the dates of the 2026-27 cycle and school events. The next day without classes for students will be Friday, November 6, 2026.
