Fcps 2026 calendar, January

[Anonymous]

After someone posted about june Eid, I pulled up next years 2025-2026 calendar.

We start really early, August 18, and go really, really, unusually late, June 17.

I started to look at all the dates and religious events that FCPS marked off next year. One month in particular caught my mind.

The kids return from winter break on Monday, January 5th. With New Years on a Thursday, that makes perfect sense.

BUT...

It appears that students only have one day of school (January 5th) then they are off for 2 Days for Epiphany? (January 6th and 7th) Because of this, there is only one full week of classes in January.

Am I looking at that correctly? That can't be right, can it? There are only 3 Orthodox churches in Fairfax County, so the population of students and staff in that religious tradition cannot be significant enough to cause even a blip of absences if all of them take off on a school day.

When FCPS moved to an August start, one of the main arguments for it was that the school year would end 2 weeks earlier in early June, shortly after SOLs and AP exams.

When the school board created a committee to look at giving days off for major religious holidays, the premise and task was to look at holidays where staff and student attendance was significantly impacted, and develop a list based explicitly on attendance issues. Looking at the FCPS population, an attendance metric would have added the muslim, Jewish and Hindu holdays currently added to the calendar, but that should have been it.

How did we end up with 2 days off for the aorthodox Christmas/Epiphany, with only 1 day of classes between it and winter break?

Am I reading the calendar correctly? Or am I misunderstanding the 2 different O day markings? Epiphany does not have the no activities marking. It has the full O.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-02/2025-2026-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After someone posted about june Eid, I pulled up next years 2025-2026 calendar.

We start really early, August 18, and go really, really, unusually late, June 17.

I started to look at all the dates and religious events that FCPS marked off next year. One month in particular caught my mind.

The kids return from winter break on Monday, January 5th. With New Years on a Thursday, that makes perfect sense.

BUT...

It appears that students only have one day of school (January 5th) then they are off for 2 Days for Epiphany? (January 6th and 7th) Because of this, there is only one full week of classes in January.

Am I looking at that correctly? That can't be right, can it? There are only 3 Orthodox churches in Fairfax County, so the population of students and staff in that religious tradition cannot be significant enough to cause even a blip of absences if all of them take off on a school day.

When FCPS moved to an August start, one of the main arguments for it was that the school year would end 2 weeks earlier in early June, shortly after SOLs and AP exams.

When the school board created a committee to look at giving days off for major religious holidays, the premise and task was to look at holidays where staff and student attendance was significantly impacted, and develop a list based explicitly on attendance issues. Looking at the FCPS population, an attendance metric would have added the muslim, Jewish and Hindu holdays currently added to the calendar, but that should have been it.

How did we end up with 2 days off for the aorthodox Christmas/Epiphany, with only 1 day of classes between it and winter break?

Am I reading the calendar correctly? Or am I misunderstanding the 2 different O day markings? Epiphany does not have the no activities marking. It has the full O.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-02/2025-2026-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

I must add, I really, really wish spring break would uncouple from Easter and go with the end of the quarter like the Catholic schools do. That would solve so many scheduling issues if only FCPS could get the surrounding school districts to get on board with it.

[Anonymous]

O days aren't off school, they just can't do major tests/activities.

But, yeah, the start and end dates have gotten absolutely insane. I haven't looked at 26-27, 27-28 yet, but I heard they've been released.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After someone posted about june Eid, I pulled up next years 2025-2026 calendar.

We start really early, August 18, and go really, really, unusually late, June 17.

I started to look at all the dates and religious events that FCPS marked off next year. One month in particular caught my mind.

The kids return from winter break on Monday, January 5th. With New Years on a Thursday, that makes perfect sense.

BUT...

It appears that students only have one day of school (January 5th) then they are off for 2 Days for Epiphany? (January 6th and 7th) Because of this, there is only one full week of classes in January.

Am I looking at that correctly? That can't be right, can it? There are only 3 Orthodox churches in Fairfax County, so the population of students and staff in that religious tradition cannot be significant enough to cause even a blip of absences if all of them take off on a school day.

When FCPS moved to an August start, one of the main arguments for it was that the school year would end 2 weeks earlier in early June, shortly after SOLs and AP exams.

When the school board created a committee to look at giving days off for major religious holidays, the premise and task was to look at holidays where staff and student attendance was significantly impacted, and develop a list based explicitly on attendance issues. Looking at the FCPS population, an attendance metric would have added the muslim, Jewish and Hindu holdays currently added to the calendar, but that should have been it.

How did we end up with 2 days off for the aorthodox Christmas/Epiphany, with only 1 day of classes between it and winter break?

Am I reading the calendar correctly? Or am I misunderstanding the 2 different O day markings? Epiphany does not have the no activities marking. It has the full O.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-02/2025-2026-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

You are not reading calendar correctly. Those are not holidays. There will be school those days- same as all years before. You ARE correct though that the idea to start before Labor Day was to end earlier and instead school board just added in more days so now start earlier and end later.

[Anonymous]

Ok. Thank you.

I am glad i am misreading the O days.

Why is next year's calendar so long?

[Anonymous]

Epiphany is a holy day (not holiday) for Catholics and some Protestants. You might be thinking of Orthodox Christmas?

Interestingly our Christian private has a pretty large Coptic student population (also celebrate Christmas on January 7) and we don't give them January 7 off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thank you.

I am glad i am misreading the O days.

Why is next year's calendar so long?

A few holidays that were on weekends this year fall on weekdays next year and a few more work days built in. The students go back a week later in August of 2026 so it all evens out.

[Anonymous]

Catholics do week after Easter, not end of the quarter. What are you talking about??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After someone posted about june Eid, I pulled up next years 2025-2026 calendar.

We start really early, August 18, and go really, really, unusually late, June 17.

I started to look at all the dates and religious events that FCPS marked off next year. One month in particular caught my mind.

The kids return from winter break on Monday, January 5th. With New Years on a Thursday, that makes perfect sense.

BUT...

It appears that students only have one day of school (January 5th) then they are off for 2 Days for Epiphany? (January 6th and 7th) Because of this, there is only one full week of classes in January.

Am I looking at that correctly? That can't be right, can it? There are only 3 Orthodox churches in Fairfax County, so the population of students and staff in that religious tradition cannot be significant enough to cause even a blip of absences if all of them take off on a school day.

When FCPS moved to an August start, one of the main arguments for it was that the school year would end 2 weeks earlier in early June, shortly after SOLs and AP exams.

When the school board created a committee to look at giving days off for major religious holidays, the premise and task was to look at holidays where staff and student attendance was significantly impacted, and develop a list based explicitly on attendance issues. Looking at the FCPS population, an attendance metric would have added the muslim, Jewish and Hindu holdays currently added to the calendar, but that should have been it.

How did we end up with 2 days off for the aorthodox Christmas/Epiphany, with only 1 day of classes between it and winter break?

Am I reading the calendar correctly? Or am I misunderstanding the 2 different O day markings? Epiphany does not have the no activities marking. It has the full O.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-02/2025-2026-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

You are not reading calendar correctly. Those are not holidays. There will be school those days- same as all years before. You ARE correct though that the idea to start before Labor Day was to end earlier and instead school board just added in more days so now start earlier and end later.

I like this trend. I prefer a shorter summer and more days off during the school year. I think it is good for the kids to get breaks during the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After someone posted about june Eid, I pulled up next years 2025-2026 calendar.

We start really early, August 18, and go really, really, unusually late, June 17.

I started to look at all the dates and religious events that FCPS marked off next year. One month in particular caught my mind.

The kids return from winter break on Monday, January 5th. With New Years on a Thursday, that makes perfect sense.

BUT...

It appears that students only have one day of school (January 5th) then they are off for 2 Days for Epiphany? (January 6th and 7th) Because of this, there is only one full week of classes in January.

Am I looking at that correctly? That can't be right, can it? There are only 3 Orthodox churches in Fairfax County, so the population of students and staff in that religious tradition cannot be significant enough to cause even a blip of absences if all of them take off on a school day.

When FCPS moved to an August start, one of the main arguments for it was that the school year would end 2 weeks earlier in early June, shortly after SOLs and AP exams.

When the school board created a committee to look at giving days off for major religious holidays, the premise and task was to look at holidays where staff and student attendance was significantly impacted, and develop a list based explicitly on attendance issues. Looking at the FCPS population, an attendance metric would have added the muslim, Jewish and Hindu holdays currently added to the calendar, but that should have been it.

How did we end up with 2 days off for the aorthodox Christmas/Epiphany, with only 1 day of classes between it and winter break?

Am I reading the calendar correctly? Or am I misunderstanding the 2 different O day markings? Epiphany does not have the no activities marking. It has the full O.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-02/2025-2026-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

You are not reading calendar correctly. Those are not holidays. There will be school those days- same as all years before. You ARE correct though that the idea to start before Labor Day was to end earlier and instead school board just added in more days so now start earlier and end later.

I like this trend. I prefer a shorter summer and more days off during the school year. I think it is good for the kids to get breaks during the year.

+1 Let's keep going until we get a full year-round-school schedule with a 5/6 week summer break in July! That would be awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thank you.

I am glad i am misreading the O days.

Why is next year's calendar so long?

Because our school board is run by idiots.

The only thing FCPS is good at is keeping kids out of school.

[Anonymous]

the whole argument was to get students more instructional time before end of grade test and AP test. Not happening at all.

Ridiculous that we are in school until that late next june.

Ask any HS parent. Once AP exams are done, so are the teachers. So we have a month of school after AP? nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Catholics do week after Easter, not end of the quarter. What are you talking about??

Our Catholic school did spring break at the end of the quarter.

Holy week was in school, except for Good Friday which was Mass then early diamissal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thank you.

I am glad i am misreading the O days.

Why is next year's calendar so long?

Because our school board is run by idiots.

The only thing FCPS is good at is keeping kids out of school.

Sigh. You get 180 days. They are not keeping kids out of school any more or less than years past.

[Anonymous]

Memorial Day is a five day weekend next year.

Who thought that was a good idea?