Loudoun County School Calendar Options Include Various Start, End Dates

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — After the Loudoun County School Board delayed a final decision on the school calendar, the board will reconsider at its Feb. 25 meeting. The school calendar options for 2026-2027 include a range of first and last days of school, three of which would end the school year in late May.

Four options were initially proposed by Loudoun County Public Schools. All four options would provide 10 days of winter break and five days of spring break. But the key differences were the start and end dates along with some variations in teacher workdays.

The first option would provide 180 instructional days with the first day on Aug. 17, 2026 and the last day on June 11, 2027.

The second option would also provide 180 instructional days but start the school year on Aug. 4, 2026 and end the school year on May 28, 2027.

The third option would have 174 instructional days with the first day on Aug. 12, 2026 and the last day on May 28, 2027.

The fourth option proposes 174 instructional days, with the first day on Aug. 13, 2026 and the last day on May 28, 2027.

Under Virginia code, the K-12 school year must provide 180 days or 990 hours of instruction.

An LCPS survey showed families preferred the first calendar option, which is closest to the current school calendar's start and end dates. Staff preferred the fourth option with the Aug. 13 start date. The second option with the Aug. 4 start date was the least favorite option for families and staff.

After hearing that none of the four calendar options were ideal, Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff proposed a hybrid option. That would start the school year on Aug. 17, 2026 and have the last day on June 4, 2027. Key changes from the other options are providing cultural observances on a school day rather than a student holiday on Sept. 21, 2026 (Yom Kippur), Nov. 9, 2026 (Diwali observance), Feb. 5, 2027 (Lunar New Year) and March 9, 2027 (Eid al-Fitr observance).

Following last week's school board meeting, Shernoff noted in a Facebook post that the school board wanted more time to collect feedback, including the fifth hybrid option.

School calendars are typically approved well in advance, allowing time for families and staff to plan for adjustments. The LCPS calendar is already finalized for the next 2025-2026 school year.