Board weighs two draft 2026–27 calendars as attendance data pushes for full Thanksgiving week option

The Montgomery County School Board received two draft school calendars for 2026–27 on Feb. 3 and a summary of survey responses that informed the committee’s recommendations.

The calendar committee collected roughly 2,300 responses from parents, staff and students. Committee members cited three recurring priorities from the survey: a longer winter break, a full five‑day spring break, and ending the school year before Memorial Day. The two drafts presented keep those broad priorities but differ on fall and Thanksgiving scheduling.

One draft calls for a shorter fall break and a full Thanksgiving week (Monday–Friday) based on division attendance records: administrators presented data showing unusually high absenteeism the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (more than 1,200 students absent on a typical recent year’s Tuesday), which the committee argued undermines instruction and could be mitigated by scheduling a full week off.

The alternate draft retains a two‑day fall break (teacher workday + holiday) and a shorter Thanksgiving (three days). Both drafts provide for a mid‑August start, two teacher workdays at the start of the second semester, and a five‑day spring break; the drafts differ on whether spring break should align with Easter or with Virginia Tech spring break. Committee members acknowledged the tradeoffs – family preferences, alignment with regional colleges, and testing schedules – and recommended the board select a single calendar to finalize scheduling, graduation planning and staff contracts.

Administrators said they will provide additional absenteeism breakdowns (the highest‑absence days across the last three years and accumulated absenteeism across Thanksgiving week) and asked for board direction on whether to pursue the full Thanksgiving‑week option.

This summary is based on the presentation and questions recorded during the Montgomery County School Board meeting on Feb. 3, 2026.