Editor’s Note (9/17/20): The NYC Department of Education updated the 2020–2021 school calendar to reflect new start dates for in-person instruction for City students in grades K–12. This post has been updated to reflect these new dates.
It’s been a long time coming.
After months of planning and critical discussions with key partners, including the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the United Federation of Teachers, the NYC Department of Education has released New York City’s official 2020–2021 public school calendar.
Some of this year’s big dates include:
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- First Days of Remote Learning for All Students*
Wednesday–Friday, September 16–18, 2020
- First Days of Remote Learning for All Students*
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- First Full Day of Instruction (All Students); In-Person Learning Begins for 3-K, Pre-K, and all District 75 students*
Monday, September 21, 2020
- First Full Day of Instruction (All Students); In-Person Learning Begins for 3-K, Pre-K, and all District 75 students*
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- In-Person Learning Begins for All Elementary School Students (students in K–2, K–3, K–5, and K–8 schools
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
- In-Person Learning Begins for All Elementary School Students (students in K–2, K–3, K–5, and K–8 schools
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- In-Person Learning Begins for Middle School (Grades 6–8), High School (Grades 9–12), Secondary School, Transfer School, Adult Education, and Evening School Students
Thursday, October 1, 2020
- In-Person Learning Begins for Middle School (Grades 6–8), High School (Grades 9–12), Secondary School, Transfer School, Adult Education, and Evening School Students
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- Election Day—Full Remote Instructional Day for All Students
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
- Election Day—Full Remote Instructional Day for All Students
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- Thanksgiving Recess — Schools Closed
Thursday, November 26 – Friday, November 27, 2020
- Thanksgiving Recess — Schools Closed
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- Winter Recess — Schools Closed
Thursday, December 24, 2020—Friday, January 1, 2021
- Winter Recess — Schools Closed
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- Midwinter Recess — Schools Closed
Monday, February 15—Friday, February 19, 2021
- Midwinter Recess — Schools Closed
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- Spring Recess — Schools Closed
Monday, March 29 – Friday, April 2, 2021
- Spring Recess — Schools Closed
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- Memorial Day — Schools Closed
Monday, May 31, 2021
- Memorial Day — Schools Closed
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- Last Day of School for All Students
Friday, June 25, 2021
- Last Day of School for All Students
*This week’s schedules may differ from school to school. Please check with your school to confirm your exact class schedule.
The 2020–2021 NYC Schools Calendar is available in a variety of formats, including:
- A detailed overview of dates on the DOE website (with built-in, on-page translations available via Google Translate);
- Downloadable files that will allow you to import the NYC Schools Calendar directly into your personal digital calendar (i.e. Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, MS Outlook, etc.)

Printer-friendly versions of the NYC Schools Calendar are available on the DOE website—tell all your friends!
As you plan for this school year, please check with your schools for information regarding other important dates and evens, as they may not be reflected in the DOE’s official calendar.
DOE staff members should refer to the DOE’s central calendar (DOE employee log-in required) for important dates, including professional development days and holidays.
One important thing to note about this year’s calendar is that “snow days“—or days in which school buildings are closed due to weather-related emergencies—will become remote instructional days this year. Therefore, all students and families should plan on participating in remote learning during snow days (if any) this year.
On behalf of the DOE, we wish all of our students and staff members a safe and rewarding school year. For more information regarding the DOE plans this year, including our commitments to health and safety for anyone in our school buildings, please visit our Return to School 2020–2021 page.
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