School District of Philadelphia (SDP): 2025-26 School Calendar

The first day of school for SDP students in the 2025-26 school year is Monday, August 25, 2025. Staff report the week before (August 18-22) for professional development and reorganization.

The last day of school for students is Thursday, June 11, 2026, and it is a full day. The Board of Education amended the original calendar to replace two half-days with one full day. Staff have their last day on Friday, June 12, 2026.

Winter Recess runs from Wednesday, December 24, 2025 through Wednesday, December 31, 2025. New Year's Day (January 1, 2026) is also a holiday, and January 2 is a staff professional development day. Students return to school on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Spring Recess runs from Monday, March 30, 2026 through Thursday, April 2, 2026. Good Friday, April 3, is also a school holiday. Students return to school on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Yes. SDP closes for Rosh Hashanah (September 23, 2025) and Yom Kippur (October 2, 2025). The district also observes Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Good Friday, reflecting Philadelphia's cultural diversity.

There are approximately 14 three-hour early dismissal days, including staff professional development days (September 12, December 12, January 16, February 13, March 13, April 17, May 8), report card conferences (November 24-25, January 29-30, April 9-10), and the day before Thanksgiving (November 26).

PSSA testing for grades 3-8 runs from April 20 to May 1, 2026. Keystone exams for high school students have two windows: January 5-16, 2026 and May 11-22, 2026. Individual school schedules within these windows may vary.

SDP coordinates with the City of Philadelphia, National Weather Service, and SEPTA before making closure decisions. Announcements are made via the SDP app, the district website (philasd.org), KYW Newsradio (1060 AM), and local TV stations including 6ABC, NBC10, and CBS3. Going forward, weather closures will be remote learning days rather than full days off.

Yes. This is the official district-wide academic calendar that applies to all 218 School District of Philadelphia schools, including neighborhood schools, special admission schools like Central High, Masterman, and CAPA, and citywide admission schools. Individual schools may have additional events but follow this master calendar for holidays and breaks.

Report card conferences are held as three-hour early dismissal days: November 24-25 (Term 1), January 29-30 (Term 2), and April 9-10 (Term 3). Students are dismissed three hours early on these days so teachers can meet with families.

Yes. The 2025-26 calendar includes closures for Lunar New Year (February 17, 2026), Eid al-Fitr (March 20, 2026), and Eid al-Adha (May 27, 2026). These holidays were added to better represent the cultural diversity of Philadelphia's student population.

Yes, SDP schools close on both Election Days in the 2025-26 school year: November 4, 2025 (general election) and May 19, 2026 (primary election). Many SDP school buildings serve as polling locations.

SDP's calendar is specific to the city of Philadelphia. Surrounding districts like Lower Merion, Cheltenham, Haverford, and Radnor in the suburbs set their own calendars with different start dates, break schedules, and holidays. SDP also observes more cultural holidays than most suburban districts.

The SDP 2025-26 school year has four terms. Term 1 ends November 10, Term 2 ends January 21, 2026, Term 3 ends March 24, 2026, and Term 4 runs through the last day of school on June 11, 2026.

Students are dismissed three hours early on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Thanksgiving Recess includes Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Students return on Monday, December 1, 2025.

Kindergarten interview days run during the first week of school, August 25-29, 2025. Kindergarten students have three-hour early dismissal during this week while schools conduct placement interviews.