New Holiday, Earlier First Day Approved By Prince William County School Board

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — New holidays and an earlier first day of school will be added to the school calendar by the Prince William County School Board.

The Prince William County Public Schools calendar was approved in November, but consideration of holiday additions was pushed to January. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the school board approved adding two holidays — the Christian holiday of Easter and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Easter falls on a weekend during spring break, which will be April 1 to 5, 2026 in the 2025-2026 school year. Holidays covered in spring break are Passover, Good Friday and Easter.

Adding Eid al-Adha as a holiday will give a day off on May 27, 2026, which is two days after the Memorial Day holiday.

With the addition of Eid al-Adha, the school board will change Aug. 18, 2025 from a teacher work day to the first day of school. The previously-approved first day of school was Aug. 19, which is the same first day as the current school year.

Other religious holiday closures already covered in the school calendar are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Eid al-Fitr. Diwali is a professional development day and day off for students.

Under Virginia law, the school year must have 180 days or 990 instructional hours. School year starts before Labor Day are allowed under Virginia law if the school division provides a four-day Labor Day weekend break. Prince William County Public Schools' calendar does provide a four-day weekend — Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 in the 2025-2026 school year.