The Anne Arundel County Board of Education has finalized the school calendar for the 2026-2027 academic year, marking a slightly later start for students than the Calendar Committee originally recommended. Students will step into their classrooms on August 24, 2026, and finish the school year on June 11, 2027, as reported by Fox Baltimore.
The calendar saw a handful of adjustments from its draft form, including keeping schools open from December 21-23, 2026. Meanwhile, the four Unity Days in the school year will shift from two hours of late arrival to two hours of early dismissal for students.
Key points in the new calendar include a five-day getaway for Thanksgiving and a seven-day pause in observance of Easter/Spring break. This break is set to start on Friday, March 26, 2027, extending through the following week, a change from the typical pre-Easter recess seen in previous years. Furthermore, as WMAR-2 News outlines, the calendar includes closures for Yom Kippur, Election Day, and Eid al-Fitr, alongside a non-student day in November for elementary and middle school students, with high schools maintaining normal hours.
The next school year will comprise 177 instructional days, but it maintains compliance with Maryland state law regarding seat hours across all levels. Schools will shutter for high schools on the day of their graduations, and a three-day buffer is accounted for in inclement weather, which could be subtracted from the end of the school year if it remains unused. The Board of Education anticipates reviewing the 2027-2028 school calendar in the spring, promoting advanced planning for families.
