Board Approves 2016–2017 Academic Calendar

April 15th, 2016

The Howard County Board of Education agreed last night to ask the Maryland State Department of Education to waive one inclement weather day for the current school year. The last day of school for students and teachers will be Friday, June 17, 2016.

The Board also approved the 2016–2017 academic calendar (view the calendar). The next school year will begin on August 29 for students and on August 22 for teachers. Winter break will be Dec. 26–30, with schools reopening on Jan. 2, 2017. Spring break will run from April 10–17, 2017. The last day of school for students and teachers is scheduled for June 13, 2017.

Five inclement weather days are reserved at the end of the next school year, to be used as needed through June 20, 2017. The Board also identified the President’s Day and Easter Monday holidays as potential inclement weather days, providing flexibility within the calendar if needed.

In January, the Board voted to add school closings for students for cultural observances on Lunar New Year Eve, the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, and the Hindu holiday of Diwali for the 2016–2017 school year. Professional learning and/or workdays for teachers were scheduled on these dates.

Schools and offices will be closed on mandated state holidays, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah in a continuation of current practice. The school system will contract an independent research organization to survey and obtain data to inform calendar decisions for future academic years.

Printed calendars will be distributed to students during the first week of school in August.