Ithaca City School District Calendar 2026-2027 Holidays

The Ithaca City School District Calendar 2026-2027 is an essential resource to help you plan for the first and last day of school, holiday recesses, teacher work days, District Conference Days, and Regents Exam windows. This guide is for everyone in Tompkins County – parents, students, and staff – and includes all of the important dates.

There are a few interesting changes for the 2026-2027 school year. Please note the updated start and end dates, new District Conference Days, and the District schedule changes for LACS (Lehman Alternative Community School) for families.

Ithaca City School District Calendar 2026-2027

The following is a list of the most important dates for the Ithaca City School District 2026-2027 Academic Calendar:

Event	Date
Teacher Work Day (No Students)	September 1, 2026
District Conference Days	September 2-3, 2026
Teacher Work Day (No Students)	September 4, 2026
Labor Day Recess (No School)	September 7, 2026
First Day – All Grades Report	September 9, 2026
Rosh Hashanah (Cultural Reference)	September 12, 2026
Mid-Winter / Presidents’ Day Recess	February 15-19, 2027
Lunar New Year (Cultural Reference)	February 6, 2027
First Day – Elementary (PreK-5)	February 8, 2027
Last Day of School (Estimated)	Late June 2027

Ithaca City School District Holidays List 2026-2027

In addition to the holidays, several recesses are scheduled throughout the year for the Ithaca City School District. The following are the details of all major school closures for 2026-2027:

Holiday / Break	Dates	Notes
Labor Day Recess	Sep 7, 2026	School closed
Indigenous Peoples’ Day	Oct 12, 2026	School closed
Veterans Day	Nov 11, 2026	School closed
Thanksgiving Recess	Nov 25 – Nov 27, 2026	Full break
Winter Recess (Christmas & New Year)	Dec 24, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027	Includes Christmas & New Year
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Jan 18, 2027	School closed
Mid-Winter Recess (Presidents’ Day break)	Feb 15 – Feb 19, 2027	Full break
Recess Day	Mar 10, 2027	School closed
District Conference Day	Mar 19, 2027	No school for students
Caregiver Conference Day	Mar 26, 2027	Partial/no student attendance
Spring Recess	Apr 5 – Apr 9, 2027	Spring break
Memorial Day Recess	May 31, 2027	School closed
Juneteenth Recess	Jun 18, 2027	School closed

Teacher Work Days & District Conference Days 2026-27

Teacher Work Days and District Conference Days are school closure days. These are professional development and administrative days for ICSD staff. Confirmed No Student Days for the year 2026-2027:

Date	Type	Details
September 1, 2026	Teacher Work Day	No students – staff preparation day
September 2-3, 2026	District Conference Days	No students – professional development
September 4, 2026	Teacher Work Day	No students – final prep before school opens

There are usually extra District Conference Days in October and March. For 2025-26, these were October 24, 2025, and March 19, 2026. Same dates may be used in 2026-27; refer to the official ICSD calendar when it is available.

Ithaca City School District Bell Schedule 2026-2027

Sub-Section	Details
IHS School Hours	9:00 AM – 3:40 PM (Regular Day)
IHS Period Times Table	Zero Period (starts at 8:14 AM) through Period 7 (estimated schedule)
2026–27 Change Notice	Period length increased to 52 minutes 39 seconds (previously 47 minutes), based on the ITA agreement.
Middle Schools	Boynton: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PMDeWitt: 9:00 AM – 3:25 PM
Elementary Schools	All schools: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Beverly Martin, Belle Sherman, Caroline, Enfield, etc.)
Early Release Days	High School releases 15 minutes early; Half-day dismissal at 12:00 PM
Quick Reference Summary Table	All school levels combined in one easy-to-read table
Bell Schedule FAQs	Schema-friendly FAQs for SEO ranking and user clarity

FAQs

Q: When does the 2026-2027 school year start in the Ithaca City School District?

A: Teacher Work Days for the 2026-2027 school year will take place on September 1 and September 4, 2026, and District Conference Days will be September 2-3, 2026. September 9, 2026, is the first day for ALL students. This date is the earliest that there will be no school for students.

Q: Does ICSD follow a different schedule for LACS students in 2026-27?

A: Yes. The Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) also has a number of special dates for school activities that are not on the regular ICSD schedule, including Trips Week, 6th Grade-Only Days, and certain conference dates. For a full LACS-specific schedule, see ithacacityschools.org/o/lacs.

Q: What happens on District Conference Days — do students go to school?

A: NO, District Conference Days are days for teachers and staff in ICSD to get Professional Development. Students do not attend school on these days. September 2-3, 2026, have been confirmed as early-year District Conference Days for 2026-2027. There may be other conference days throughout the year.

Q: When are Regents Exams scheduled for the 2026-2027 school year?

A: The ICSD does not hold a Regents exam more than once a year. It is anticipated that the January 2027 session will be available in the third or fourth week of January 2027. The June 2027 session is expected to be scheduled for the end of the school year in mid-to-late June 2027. Pupils are advised to check with their school counselor to verify exam timetables.

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