Before September 10: finish the practical first-day checks

• Confirm your school’s first-day arrival, dismissal and supply instructions
• Check the official NYCPS transportation option and eligibility for your child
• If assigned school bus service, confirm route, pick-up and drop-off information in the NYC School Bus app
• If eligible for public transit, get the Student OMNY card from the school — not from the MTA
• Update family contact information in your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA)
• Complete required health forms and confirm required immunizations before school starts
• Review your school’s device-use and storage policy before Day One; NYCPS says personal internet-enabled devices may not be used during the school day under New York State law
• Review the new NYCPS AI and screen-time policy, especially if your child is in grades 2K–8 or a high-school AI pilot

Student transportation is not one-size-fits-all

NYCPS says transportation eligibility depends on factors including grade, distance from school and individual needs. Options can include Student OMNY cards, stop-to-school busing and curb-to-school busing.

Student OMNY cards are distributed by schools. They can be used for up to four free rides per day on eligible MTA subway and bus services and remain valid throughout the year. Families with assigned school bus service can use the NYC School Bus app to see route information and follow the bus.

Personal devices have a new day-one check

NYCPS’s current Back to School Checklist says that, under New York State law, students may not use personal internet-enabled electronic devices such as cell phones on school grounds during the school day.

The citywide rule is only part of the practical answer: each school shares its own policy for how devices are handled and stored. Families should review that school-specific policy with students before September 10 rather than assuming every building uses the same storage procedure.

NYCPS also introduced separate AI and screen-time rules for 2026–27

The new technology policy is separate from the personal-phone rule. NYCPS says student-facing generative AI is not permitted in grades 2K–8, while high-school use is limited to approved pilots, AI literacy and certain supervised career-readiness settings.

For routine 1:1 screen use, NYCPS says grades 2K–2 should have none, recommends no more than 30 minutes a day for grades 3–5 and no more than 45 minutes a day for grades 6–8, with listed accessibility and instructional exceptions.

Breakfast and lunch are free for NYCPS students

NYC Public Schools provides free breakfast and lunch to all students during the school year. Families can use the official School Meals pages for menus and meal information.

This is separate from summer meals, which run on their own seasonal schedule.

September 2026 at a glance

• September 10 — first day of school
• September 12–13 — Rosh Hashanah falls on Saturday and Sunday; NYCPS says holidays that fall on weekends do not create an additional weekday school closure
• September 21 — Yom Kippur; schools closed
• September 23 — evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for middle schools and D75 schools
• September 24 — evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for high schools, K–12 and 6–12 schools
• September 30 — evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for elementary schools and Pre-K Centers

Some religious holidays fall on weekends in 2026–27

NYCPS says that, consistent with past practice, when a school holiday falls on a weekend the system does not add a separate weekday closure.

For 2026–27, NYCPS specifically lists Rosh Hashanah on Saturday–Sunday, September 12–13, Diwali on Sunday, November 8, and Lunar New Year on Sunday, February 7, 2027 as weekend holidays that will not be observed as additional school holidays.

Key fall closures and schedule changes

• October 12, 2026 — Italian Heritage/Indigenous Peoples’ Day; schools closed
• November 3, 2026 — Election Day; school is in session remotely for all students
• November 11, 2026 — Veterans Day; schools closed
• November 26–27, 2026 — Thanksgiving Recess; schools closed
• December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027 — Winter Recess; schools closed

Winter and spring recesses

• January 18, 2027 — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day; schools closed
• January 26–29, 2027 — Regents Administration
• February 1, 2027 — Professional Development Day; high-school students and students in schools serving only grades 6–12 do not attend, while other students attend school
• February 15–19, 2027 — Midwinter Recess; schools closed
• March 9, 2027 — Eid al-Fitr; schools closed
• March 26, 2027 — Good Friday; schools closed
• April 22–30, 2027 — Spring Recess; schools closed

Important dates near the end of the year

• May 17, 2027 — Eid al-Adha; schools closed
• May 31, 2027 — Memorial Day; schools closed
• June 8, 2027 — Clerical Day; no classes for 3-K, Pre-K, elementary, middle, K–12 and standalone D75 programs
• June 10, 2027 — Anniversary Day/Chancellor’s Conference Day; students do not attend
• June 15–18 and June 21–25, 2027 — Regents Administration
• June 28, 2027 — last day of school for students

Emergency closure does not always mean a day off

NYC Public Schools states that when buildings close because of severe weather or another emergency, the school system may remain in session remotely. That makes the citywide live status, MTA service information and school communications especially important on disruptive weather days.

Who this calendar does and does not cover

The NYCPS calendar applies to the city’s public-school system from 3-K through grade 12, but private, parochial, charter schools, NYCEEC programs and family childcare programs may use different calendars.

Even within NYCPS, individual schools can have approved site-specific schedule changes and different Parent-Teacher Conference arrangements. Families should use their school’s messages for the final operational detail. The official 2026–27 calendar is also published by NYCPS in multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian.