NYC Public Schools Extend Winter Break: No School Jan. 2
Though the current school year is still in session, there is great news for next year’s winter break, especially if you’re already eyeing the school calendar to plan your winter vacation. The New York City Department of Education has announced that Friday, January 2, 2026, is now officially a day off for NYC public school students.
The draft calendar originally had students returning to school on January 2, right after the New Year. It was a Friday awkwardly sandwiched between a full winter recess and the first weekend of 2026. That plan raised plenty of eyebrows among parents, teachers, and school leaders, because honestly, how many students (or adults, for that matter) are eager to return for just one school day right after a long holiday break?
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With families often still traveling, adjusting back to routines, or just soaking up those last moments of downtime, the idea of gearing up for a lone Friday at school felt more disruptive than productive.
After behind-the-scenes deliberation, the city has finally responded to what many families and educators were already thinking: returning to school for just one day, Friday, January 2, wasn’t exactly practical. Last week, without much fanfare, the Department of Education quietly updated the school calendar to include that Friday as part of winter break.
The United Federation of Teachers shared the news with its members in a message: “We got it done! Friday, Jan. 2, is now part of winter break.” Not long after, the DOE officially confirmed the change, no doubt bringing a collective sigh of relief from parents and teachers who didn’t want to dig out backpacks and lunchboxes for a lone post-holiday school day.
The one downside might be that easing back into the routine for a day is a bit less harsh than heading into a 5-day week. Still, it does allow extra time for vacations and travel.
Now, winter break will run from December 24, 2025, through January 2, 2026, giving kids and teachers a full, uninterrupted vacation.
Changing the NYC Public School Calendar Isn’t Easy
City parents who have tried to plan around NYC’s public school calendar know how tricky it can be. Changes often come late in the game, and this one almost did, too. The city has to stick to a strict 180-day requirement from the state, make room for newer holidays like Diwali, and still leave space for emergencies or snow days, most of which now mean logging on remotely instead of staying home entirely.
That Friday after New Year’s was originally going to be a regular school day, squeezed in between the holiday break and the weekend. The problem was that most families weren’t likely to show up, and neither were a lot of staff. In past years, the city has worked around tight schedules by converting teacher training days instead of pushing school into the summer.
Last year, Mayor Eric Adams canceled school on the Monday before winter break after a student petition made the rounds. Twelve-year-old NYC student Isaac Regnier noticed something off in the December 2024 school calendar and decided to do something about it. He came up with a simple fix to swap the odd school day for one later in the year. After getting no response to his emails and calls to then-Schools Chancellor David Banks and Mayor Eric Adams, Isaac turned to Change.org and launched a petition to push for a full Christmas break week. To everyone’s surprise, it worked.
While it was a dream that came true for kids, it left some parents scrambling. That’s why this time, the city made the call much earlier, giving families and schools a chance to plan ahead. School leaders made sure the decision came early this time to help avoid the last-minute confusion that had happened before.
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