PWCS already observes Eid al-Fitr, the other official Islamic holiday, in mid-March. The district also observes many major holidays, including but not limited to Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur Christmas, Presidents Day and Memorial Day.
At the Nov. 19, 2024, meeting where the calendar was initially approved, there was some contention between Board members based on the results of a community survey; a majority of the community members wanted a different option than the one that was ultimately approved.
Jennifer Wall, the Board member for the Gainesville District, said she had issues with the options presented to the Board at its Nov 19 meeting.
“My personal dislike is when the school year extends into the second week of June. I have witnessed that maintaining student focus once you get past Memorial Day, it gets really difficult; however, I do recognize that in our very pluralistic society, culture and communities, there are many individuals that really appreciate those additional holidays,” Wall said. “There are just things I don’t like about the calendar, about any of the options. It was very tempting to protest vote, however, I do see the reason why we are where we are.”
Important things to note about the 2025-26 school year calendar include:
- NEW first day of school on Aug. 18;
- No school for Labor Day (Aug. 29 and Sept. 1);
- No school for Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 23);
- No school for Yom Kippur (Oct. 2);
- Professional development days (Oct. 13, Nov. 3 and 4, Jan. 23 and 26, April 6 and June 15);
- No school for Diwali (Oct. 21);
- No School for Veterans Day (Nov. 11);
- Thanksgiving (Nov. 26, 27 and 28);
- Two weeks off for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Day (Dec. 22 through Jan. 2)
- No school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19);
- No school for Presidents Day (Feb. 16);
- No School for Eid al-Fitr (March 20);
- Spring break (March 30 through April 3);
- No school for Memorial Day (May 25);
- No school for Eid al-Adha (May 27);
- Last day of school on June 12.
