ALEXANDRIA, VA – The new school year is just around the corner. In most Alexandria public schools, classes will begin on August 24.
ACPS provides a Back to School Guide on its website, with links to forms for enrolling students in school and updating information. The school system also recommends that families download the ParentSquare app to get timely updates relevant to their students.
One Alexandria school follows a different calendar from the rest. Alexandria's Samuel L. Tucker Elementary School began on July 27. The school is the first in Alexandria to operate on an extended calendar, with shorter breaks every nine weeks. During these breaks, the school remains open with options for students to attend for extra instruction or review.
According to ACPS, the extended calendar helps students retain information and keeps low-achieving students from losing ground over long summer breaks. Find out more about Samuel Tucker Elementary School here and view its modified calendar here.
Here are some important dates for the traditional 2026-2027 school year to get on the calendar.
| Date | Description |
| August 24 | First Day of School |
| August 26 | First Day of Preschool — ACPS Early Childhood Center and Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) Classes |
| September 4 | Labor Day — No School for Students |
| September 7 | Labor Day — No School for Students |
| September 21 | Yom Kippur — No School for Students |
| October 1 | Two-Hour Early Dismissal for Students — Elementary, Middle and High School Conferences |
| October 2 | Elementary, Middle and High School Conferences — No School for Students |
| October 12 | Indigenous Peoples Day / Professional Learning Day — No School for Students |
| October 30 | End of Quarter |
| November 2 | Teacher Work Day — No School for Students |
| November 3 | Election Day / Professional Learning Day — No School for Students |
| November 11 | Veterans Day — No School for Students |
| November 25–27 | Fall Break / Thanksgiving — No School for Students |
| December 21–31 | Winter Break, including Christmas Day — No School for Students |
| January 1 | Winter Break, including New Year's Day — No School for Students |
| January 18 | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — No School for Students |
| January 22 | End of Quarter |
| January 25 | Teacher Work Day — No School for Students |
| February 15 | Presidents Day — No School for Students |
| February 25 | Two-Hour Early Dismissal for Students — Elementary Middle and High School Conferences |
| February 26 | Elementary, Middle and High School Conferences — No School for Students |
| March 10 | Eid al-Fitr — No School for Students |
| March 22–26 | Spring Break — No School for Students |
| April 9 | End of Quarter |
| April 12 | Teacher Work Day — No School for Students |
| May 17 | Eid al-Adha — No School for Students |
| May 31 | Memorial Day — No School for Students |
| June 14–17 | Two-Hour Early Dismissal for High School Students — Final Exams |
| June 16–17 | Two-Hour Early Dismissal for Students — Afternoon Teacher Work Day |
| June 17 | End of Quarter / Last Day of School for Students |
See the full school calendar here.
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