School Calendar Laws by State: Start Dates and Required Instructional Time
Our analysis of district calendars found spring break 2027 spread across six different weeks, and districts inside a single state — even a single metro area — disagreeing with each other. This page is the other half of that: why American school calendars differ as much as they do, and where the law does and does not constrain them.
The short answer is that most states do not decide. In 35 of 51 states and the District of Columbia, the start of the school year is a district decision or is not addressed in statute at all. Only 16 constrain it.
Before you use this table
The compilation below is the Education Commission of the States’ 50-State Comparison, published January 2020. School calendar statutes change — Missouri’s own entry records a change taking effect in 2020-21 — and several states have amended start-date law since. Treat this as a map of which states legislate this and roughly how, not as the current text of the law. Every row carries the statutory citation so the live text can be checked. We have not independently re-verified all 51 statutes.
The 16 states that set start or finish dates in law
These are the states where the shape of the calendar is decided above the district. It is why Texas districts cluster after the fourth Monday in August, why North Carolina starts late and runs into June, and why Michigan and Minnesota go back after Labor Day.
| State | Statutory requirement | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Start: on or after the Monday of the week in which August 19 fallsNo earlier than August 14thNo Later than August 26th. | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-10-106 |
| District of Columbia | Set by the Board of Education. | D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 5-E, § 305 |
| Iowa | Start: no sooner than August 23 and no later than the first Monday in December. | Iowa Code Ann. § 279.10 |
| Maryland | Start: no earlier than the Tuesday immediately following Labor Day.Finish: no later than June 15.A county board may extend the length of the school year for up to 5 days beyond June 15 without approval from the State Board. | Md. Code Regs. 01.01.2016.13 | Md. Code Ann., Educ. § 7-103 |
| Michigan | Start: after Labor Day. | Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 380.1284b |
| Minnesota | Start: after Labor Day. | Minn. Stat. Ann. § 120A.40 |
| Missouri | Start: no earlier than 14 days prior to the first Monday in September.Starting in the 2020-21 school year, schools may start earlier if they give appropriate public notice. | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 171.031 |
| Nebraska | Set by the State Board of Education. | Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 79-101 |
| North Carolina | Start: Monday closest to August 26Finish: No later than the Friday closest to June 11. | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 115C-84.2 |
| Rhode Island | Start: no later than the first Thursday following the first Monday in September. | 200 R.I. Code R. 20-05-1.5 |
| South Carolina | Start: no earlier than the third Monday in August. | S.C. Code Ann. § 59-1-42 |
| South Dakota | Start: on or after the first Tuesday following the first Monday in September. | S.D. Codified Laws § 13-26-9 |
| Tennessee | Start date: no earlier than August 1st. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-3004 |
| Texas | Start: after the fourth Monday in August.Finish: after May 15th. | Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 25.0811 | Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 25.0812 |
| Virginia | Start: no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day. | Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-79.1 |
| Wisconsin | Start date: no earlier than September 1. | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 118.045 |
Required instructional time, all 51 jurisdictions
Start dates are only half of it. What really sets the length of the year — and therefore how much break a district can afford to take — is the statutory minimum. The familiar “180 days” is common but far from universal, and a growing number of states set hours instead, which is what lets a district run longer days and take a full week at Thanksgiving or a fall break in October.
| State | Minimum days | Minimum hours / minutes | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 180 days | 1,080 hours | Ala. Code § 16-13-231 |
| Alaska | 180 days | Grades K-3: 740 hoursGrades 4-12: 900 hours | Alaska Stat. Ann. § 14.03.030 |
| Arizona | 180 days | Grades 1-3: 712 hoursGrades 4-8: 890 hoursGrades 9-12: 720 hours | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 15-901 | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 15-341.01 |
| Arkansas | Set by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas. | N/A | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-10-108 |
| California | 180 days | Kindergarten: 36,000 minutesGrades 1-3: 50,400 minutesGrades 4-8: 54,000 minutesGrades 9-12: 64,800 minutes | Cal. Educ. Code § 46200 | Cal. Educ. Code § 46201 |
| Colorado | 160 days | Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hoursFull-day Kindergarten: 900 hoursGrades 1-5: 990 hoursGrades 6-12: 1,080 hours | Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-32-109 |
| Connecticut | 180 days | Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hoursFull-day K-12: 900 hours | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 10-16 |
| Delaware | N/A | Grades K-11: 1,060 hoursGrade 12: 1,032 hours | Del. Code Ann. tit. 14, § 1049 |
| District of Columbia | 180 days | N/A | D.C. Code Ann. § 38-2901 |
| Florida | 180 days | Grades K-3: 720 hoursGrades 4-12: 900 hours | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1011.61 | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1001.42 |
| Georgia | 180 days | N/A | Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-168 |
| Hawaii | 180 days | 1,080 hours | Haw. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 302A-251 |
| Idaho | Set by the board of trustees of each school district. | Kindergarten: 450 hoursGrades 1-3: 810 hoursGrades 4-8: 900 hoursGrades 9-12: 990 hours | Idaho Code Ann. § 33-512 |
| Illinois | 185 days | N/A | 105 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/10-19 |
| Indiana | 180 days | N/A | Ind. Code Ann. § 20-30-2-3 |
| Iowa | 180 days | 1,080 hours | Iowa Code Ann. § 279.10 |
| Kansas | Grades 1-11: 186 daysGrade 12: 181 days | Kindergarten: 465 hoursGrades 1-11: 1,116 hoursGrade 12: 1,086 hours | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 72-3115 |
| Kentucky | 170 days | 1,062 hours | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 158.070 |
| Louisiana | 177 days | 63,720 minutes | La. Stat. Ann. § 17:154.1 | 28 La. Admin. Code Pt CXV, 333 |
| Maine | 180 days | N/A | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A, § 4801 |
| Maryland | 180 days | 1,080 hours1,170 hours for public high schools | Md. Code Ann., Educ. § 7-103 | Md. Code Regs. 13A.03.02.12 |
| Massachusetts | 180 days | Kindergarten: 425 hoursGrades 1-5: 900 hoursGrades 6-12: 990 hours | 603 Mass. Code Regs. 27.03 | 603 Mass. Code Regs. 27.04 | 603 Mass. Code Regs. 27.05 |
| Michigan | 180 days | 1,098 hours | Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 388.1701 |
| Minnesota | Grades 1-11: 165 days | Kindergarten: 425 hoursAll-day Kindergarten: 850 hoursGrades 1-6: 935 hoursGrades 7-12: 1,020 hours | Minn. Stat. Ann. § 120A.41 |
| Mississippi | 180 days | N/A | Miss. Code. Ann. § 37-13-63 |
| Missouri | No minimum school days are required. | Kindergarten: 522 hoursOther Grades: 1,044 hours | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 171.031 | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 163.021 |
| Montana | Set by the trustees of a school district. | Half-day Kindergarten: 360 hoursFull-day K-3: 720 hoursGrades 4-12: 1,080 hours | Mont. Code Ann. § 20-1-301 | Mont. Code Ann. § 20-1-302 | Mont. Code Ann. § 20-1-304 |
| Nebraska | N/A | Kindergarten: 400 hoursGrades 1-8: 1,032 hoursGrades 9-12: 1,080 | Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 79-211 | Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 79-212 |
| Nevada | 180 days | N/A | Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 388.090 | Nev. Admin. Code 387.120 | Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 388.090 |
| New Hampshire | 180 days | Kindergarten: 450 hoursElementary schools: 945 hoursMiddle and High schools: 990 hours | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 189:1 | N.H. Code Admin. R. § 18 |
| New Jersey | 180 days | N/A | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 18A:7F-9 |
| New Mexico | N/A | Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hoursFull-day K-6: 990 hoursGrades 7-12: 1,080 hours | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 22-2-8.1 |
| New York | 180 days | Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hoursFull-day K-6: 900 hoursGrades 7-12: 990 hours | N.Y. Educ. Law § 3604 | N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 175.5 |
| North Carolina | 185 days | 1,025 hours | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 115C-84.2 |
| North Dakota | N/A | Half-day Kindergarten: 481.25 hoursGrades K-5: 962.5 hoursGrades 6-12: 1,050 hours | N.D. Cent. Code Ann. § 15.1-22-02 | N.D. Cent. Code Ann. § 15.1-06-04 |
| Ohio | Set by the board of education of each city. | Kindergarten: 450 hoursFull-day K-6: 910 hoursGrades 7-12: 1,001 hours | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3313.48 |
| Oklahoma | 180 days | 1,080 hours | Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 70, § 1-109 |
| Oregon | N/A | Half-day Kindergarten: 450 hoursGrades K-8: 900 hoursGrades 9-11: 990 hoursGrade 12: 966 hours | Or. Admin. R. 581-022-2320 |
| Pennsylvania | 180 days | Kindergarten: 450 hoursGrades 1-6: 900 hoursGrades 7-12: 990 hours | 22 Pa. Code § 11.1 | 22 Pa. Code § 11.3 |
| Rhode Island | 180 days | 1,080 hours | 16 R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. § 16-2-2 |
| South Carolina | 180 days | N/A | S.C. Code Ann. § 59-1-425 |
| South Dakota | Set by the local school board. | Kindergarten: 437.5 hoursGrades 1-5: 875 hoursGrades 6-12: 962.5 hours | S.D. Codified Laws § 13-26-1 | S.D. Codified Laws § 13-26-2 | S.D. Codified Laws § 13-26-4 | S.D. Codified Laws § 13-26-4.1 |
| Tennessee | 180 days | N/A | Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-3004 |
| Texas | N/A | 75,600 minutes | Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 25.081 |
| Utah | 180 days | 990 hours | Utah Admin. Code r. R277-419-4 |
| Vermont | 175 days | N/A | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 16, § 1071 |
| Virginia | 180 days | Kindergarten: 540 hoursGrades 1-12: 990 hours | Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-79.1 | Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-98 |
| Washington | Kindergarten: 180 half-daysGrades 1-12: 180 days | Kindergarten: 450 hoursGrades 1-8: 1,000 hoursGrades 9-12: 1,080 hours | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.150.220 |
| West Virginia | 180 days | N/A | W. Va. Code Ann. § 18-5-45 |
| Wisconsin | N/A | Kindergarten: 437 hoursGrades 1-6: 1,050 hoursGrades 7-12: 1,137 hours | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 121.02 |
| Wyoming | 175 days | Kindergarten: 450 hoursGrades 1-5: 900 hoursGrades 6-8: 1,050 hoursGrades 9-12: 1,100 hours | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 21-4-301 | Wyo. Admin. Code 206.0002.22 § 5 |
Sources
- ECS 50-State Comparison: Instructional Time Policies - days and hours
- ECS 50-State Comparison: Instructional Time Policies - start and finish dates
Requirement wording and citations are reproduced as ECS published them (January 2020) rather than paraphrased, so this page cannot drift from its source. For what districts actually do inside these rules, see how much U.S. school calendars actually differ and the state and district calendars.