Texas school holidays

Texas has no statewide calendar. Each independent school district sets its own dates within a state rule that schools cannot start before the fourth Monday in August unless the district operates a District of Innovation plan, and almost every large ISD does exactly that. The practical result is that Texas families in neighboring counties can be off in completely different weeks.

The five districts on this page show how wide that gap gets. Houston ISD and Northside ISD in San Antonio both go back on August 10, 2026. Dallas ISD follows on August 11 and Cypress-Fairbanks on August 12. Austin ISD, which keeps a later start, does not return until August 18, 2026, a full eight days behind Houston. At the other end of the year the finish dates run from Dallas ISD and Northside on May 26, 2027 to Houston ISD on May 28.

Thanksgiving is the one week the whole state agrees on. Every district here closes for the full week of November 23 to 27, 2026, which makes it the busiest single week of the fall for Texas theme parks and museums.

Winter break starts on December 21, 2026 everywhere on this page, but the return dates differ. Cypress-Fairbanks is back first on January 4, 2027, Houston, Northside and Austin follow, and Dallas ISD stretches its break to January 5. So a two-week trip works statewide, a sixteen-day one does not.

Spring break is where Texas splits in two. Houston ISD and Northside ISD take the week of March 8 to 12, 2027. Dallas ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks and Austin ISD take the following week, March 15 to 19. Two of the biggest metros in the state are off in different weeks, which is worth knowing before you book anything in San Antonio or on the coast.

Fall breaks are the other point of difference. Dallas ISD takes a two-day break on October 8 and 9, 2026, Northside ISD closes for the week of October 9 to 13, and Cypress-Fairbanks takes October 12 to 16. Houston ISD and Austin ISD have no separate fall break at all, and Austin labels its Thanksgiving week the fall break instead.

The two-week spring break split is a genuine advantage. If your district is off in the first week, the second week is quieter at San Antonio and Houston attractions, and the reverse holds too. October is the calmest window of the year in Texas, because only three of the five districts here break at all and they break in different weeks.

This page covers Houston ISD, Dallas ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Northside ISD and Austin ISD. Open your district for the full break list, the first and last day of term, and a calendar file you can add to your phone.