If you have a kid in the Iowa City Community School District, you already know the drill. Somebody hands you a paper calendar in August, it goes on the fridge, and by October it’s buried under permission slips and a soccer schedule. This page is the fix. Everything below is the full Iowa City Schools Calendar 26-27 for the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) in Johnson County, Iowa, covering the 2026-2027 academic year for all 21 elementary schools, three middle schools, and the four high schools.
We verified this directly from the Iowa City Community School District official website and the district’s published 2026-27 calendar PDF.
A quick note on how ICCSD builds its year, because it trips people up. This district runs on trimesters, not semesters. So instead of a big December finals week, report cards land in November, March, and June. The district also dismisses one hour early every Thursday at every building, all year long. If you’re new to Iowa City or coming from a district that does half-day Fridays, that Thursday early-out is the single most important thing on this page.
You’ll find the Iowa City Schools Calendar 26-27 first day of school date, every no-school day, both trimester cutoffs, all four graduation dates, the full bell schedule, and a direct download for the Iowa City Schools Calendar 26-27 printable PDF straight from the district’s own server. Parents bookmark this page because ICCSD packs an unusual number of scattered single no-school days into the fall and spring, and nobody remembers them all from memory.
At-a-Glance Summary
Here’s the short version for anyone who just needs the four big numbers.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First day of classes for students | Monday, August 24, 2026 |
| Last day of classes for students | Friday, June 4, 2027 (2-hour early release) |
| Total student days | 174 (57 + 59 + 58 across three trimesters) |
| Next upcoming holiday | Labor Day — Monday, September 7, 2026 |
| Spring break | March 15-19, 2027 |
| Winter break | December 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027 |
| Calendar structure | Three trimesters |
| Thursday dismissal | One hour early, all schools, all year |
About that 174 number, since it looks low next to the “180 days” you may have heard. Iowa law lets a district meet either 180 days or 1,080 instructional hours. ICCSD counts hours. The district builds its calendar with extra hours banked on top of the 1,080 minimum, which is exactly what absorbs snow days without pushing June back.
Key Dates Table 2026-2027
This is the table most families print. Every date here comes from the district’s official published calendar.
| Event | Start Date | End Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Registration | Aug 4, 2026 | Aug 4, 2026 | – |
| New Teacher Workshop | Aug 12, 2026 | Aug 17, 2026 | Aug 12, 13, 14 and 17 |
| Teachers Return | Aug 18, 2026 | Aug 21, 2026 | Staff only |
| Elementary Meet the Teacher Night | Aug 20, 2026 | Aug 20, 2026 | – |
| 1st Day of Classes for Students | Aug 24, 2026 | — | All grades |
| 1st Day of Preschool Classes | Aug 31, 2026 | Aug 31, 2026 | – |
| Labor Day | Sep 7, 2026 | — | No school, district closed |
| Cultural Representation Day (Yom Kippur) | Sep 21, 2026 | — | No school, district closed |
| Fall no-school day | Oct 19, 2026 | — | No school, no work for school-year staff |
| Teacher Professional Development | Nov 3, 2026 | — | No school; teachers work from alt. location |
| Cultural Representation Day (Diwali) | Nov 9, 2026 | — | No school, district closed |
| End of 1st Trimester | Nov 17, 2026 | — | 57 student days |
| Conference / Teacher Work Day | Nov 18, 2026 | — | No classes; PT conferences; secondary records day |
| Thanksgiving Break | Nov 25, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 25 in exchange for evening conferences |
| Early Release before Winter Break | Dec 18, 2026 | — | 2-hour early release |
| Winter Break | Dec 21, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | District closed |
| Classes Resume | Jan 4, 2027 | — | — |
| MLK Day | Jan 18, 2027 | — | No school, district closed |
| Cultural Representation Day (Lunar New Year) | Feb 5, 2027 | — | No school, district closed |
| End of 2nd Trimester | Mar 2, 2027 | — | 59 student days |
| Conference / Teacher Work Day | Mar 3, 2027 | — | No classes; also Kindergarten Registration |
| Cultural Representation Day (Eid) | Mar 10, 2027 | — | No school, district closed |
| Early Release | Mar 12, 2027 | — | 2-hour early release |
| Spring Break | Mar 15, 2027 | Mar 19, 2027 | District closed Mar 18 & 19 |
| Cultural Representation Day (Good Friday) | Mar 26, 2027 | — | No school, district closed |
| Spring no-school day | Apr 23, 2027 | — | In exchange for evening conferences |
| Last Day for Seniors | May 28, 2027 | — | — |
| Memorial Day | May 31, 2027 | — | No school, district closed |
| Last Day of Classes / End of 3rd Trimester | Jun 4, 2027 | — | 2-hour early release; 58 student days |
| Teacher Work Day | Jun 7, 2027 | — | Teachers work from alt. location |
Source: Iowa City Community School District official calendar. Last verified: July 30, 2026.
On state testing: ICCSD does not publish Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) windows on this calendar document. Those dates come from your individual school, usually by email in late winter. Don’t plan spring travel around the March break assuming testing is done.
Month-by-Month Calendar Breakdown
Same dates, split by month, for anyone who plans one month at a time.
Summer 2026 (before school starts)
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jun 29 – Jul 3, 2026 | District closed |
| Jul 4, 2026 | Independence Day |
August 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug 4 | Elementary Registration |
| Aug 12, 13, 14, 17 | New Teacher Workshop |
| Aug 18-21 | Teachers Return |
| Aug 20 | Elementary Meet the Teacher Night |
| Aug 24 | 1st Day of Classes for Students |
| Aug 31, 2026 | 1st Day of Preschool Classes |
September 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 | No School / District Closed (Labor Day) |
| Sep 21 | No School / District Closed (Cultural Representation Day) |
October 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct 19 | No School / No Work for School-Year Staff |
November 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Nov 3 | No School / Teacher PD |
| Nov 9 | No School / District Closed (Cultural Representation Day) |
| Nov 17 | End of 1st Trimester |
| Nov 18 | No Classes / PT Conferences / Teacher Work Day |
| Nov 25 | No School / District Closed |
| Nov 26-27 | District Closed (Thanksgiving Holiday) |
December 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec 18 | Last Day Before Winter Break – 2 Hour Early Release |
| Dec 21 – Jan 1 | No School / District Closed (Winter Break) |
January 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan 4 | Classes Resume |
| Jan 18 | No School / District Closed (MLK Day) |
February 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb 5 | No School / District Closed (Cultural Representation Day) |
March 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Mar 2 | End of 2nd Trimester |
| Mar 3 | No Classes / PT Conferences / Kindergarten Registration |
| Mar 10 | No School / District Closed (Cultural Representation Day) |
| Mar 12 | 2 Hour Early Release |
| Mar 15-17 | No School / No Work for School-Year Staff |
| Mar 18-19 | District Closed |
| Mar 26 | No School / District Closed (Cultural Representation Day) |
April 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Apr 23 | No School / No Work for School-Year Staff |
May 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 28 | Last Day for Seniors |
| May 28 | Tate High Graduation |
| May 29 | Liberty High Graduation |
| May 29 | West High Graduation |
| May 30 | City High Graduation |
| May 31 | No School / District Closed (Memorial Day) |
| TBD | Online Program Graduation |
June 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jun 4 | End of 3rd Trimester / Last Day of Classes – 2 Hour Early Release |
| Jun 7 | Teacher Work Day |
| Jun 19 | Juneteenth |
Trimester Days and Bell Schedule
| Trimester | Student Days |
|---|---|
| 1st Trimester | 57 |
| 2nd Trimester | 59 |
| 3rd Trimester | 58 |
| Total | 174 |
| School Level | Daily Hours |
|---|---|
| Elementary | 7:55 AM – 2:55 PM |
| Middle School | 8:50 AM – 4:00 PM |
| High School | 8:50 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Thursday Dismissal | 1 hour early, all schools |
Holidays and Cultural Representation Days
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Independence Day | July 4 |
| Labor Day | September 7 |
| Thanksgiving | November 26 |
| Christmas | December 25 & 26 |
| New Year’s | January 1 & 2 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18 |
| Memorial Day | May 31 |
| Juneteenth | June 19 |
| Cultural Representation Day | Observed Date |
|---|---|
| Yom Kippur | September 21 |
| Diwali | November 8 |
| Lunar New Year | February 6 |
| Eid | March 10 |
| Good Friday | March 26 |
Worth reading twice: the observance dates and the closure dates don’t always match. Diwali is listed as November 8, but the district closes November 9. Lunar New Year is February 6 with the closure on February 5. That’s because ICCSD moves the day off to the nearest weekday.
Download the Official Printable Calendar
Here’s the district’s own PDF, hosted on ICCSD’s server. It includes the one-page grid version and the detailed staff version on the second page.
Download: ICCSD 2026-27 Calendar (English, PDF)
If you want an Iowa City Schools Calendar 2026 27 template you can edit for your own family, the cleanest route is to print the district PDF and add your own rows, or copy the tables above into a spreadsheet. Print it at 100% scale, not “fit to page,” or the small grid dates get fuzzy.
Always double-check and verify the calendar against the official district website before booking travel or making childcare arrangements. The district approved this calendar in November 2025 and reviews calendars every fall, so dates are subject to change.
See also: Fort Mill School District Calendar 2026-2027 | Printable PDF
About Iowa City Community School District
ICCSD is Iowa’s fifth-largest school district and the second-largest employer in the Iowa City area. It serves roughly 14,800 students across 29 schools, covering 130 square miles and the communities of Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Hills, and University Heights. The layout is 21 elementary schools, three middle schools, three comprehensive high schools (City, West, and Liberty), and Tate High as an alternative option, plus a growing online program. The district is known for full-day preschool expansion, postsecondary pathways tied to Kirkwood and the University of Iowa, and its Cultural Representation Day calendar. Amy Kortemeyer began as interim superintendent on July 1, 2026, taking over from Matt Degner.
What Parents in Johnson County Should Know This Year
Two things stand out in this calendar. First, spring break is genuinely long. March 15-19 gives you a full weekday week off, but the March 12 early release comes right before it and March 26 is another full closure two weeks later. So the back half of March has only about seven full school days in it. Plan childcare early.
Second, the fall is a minefield of single no-school days: September 21, October 19, November 3, November 9, and November 18. That’s five scattered Mondays and Wednesdays before Thanksgiving even arrives. None of them are a “break” in the normal sense, which is exactly why parents miss them. Put all five in your phone today.
Also flag April 23. It’s a random Friday off in exchange for evening conferences, and it’s easy to overlook because there’s nothing else on the calendar that month.
How Johnson County Compares to Neighboring Districts
ICCSD starts on August 24, 2026, which puts it right at the front of the pack locally. Clear Creek Amana, just west in Johnson and Iowa counties, also starts August 24. Cedar Rapids Community School District in Linn County begins a day later on August 25 and wraps up May 28, 2027, a full week earlier than ICCSD’s June 4 finish. Spring break is the bigger split: Cedar Rapids takes March 15-18, so if you have kids in both districts, your ICCSD student has one extra day off on March 19. Households straddling the Johnson-Linn line should note that ICCSD’s June 4 end date means about a week less summer than Cedar Rapids families get.
Planning a Family Trip? Best Times to Travel
Winter break is the longest stretch, December 21 through January 1, which is twelve days including weekends. Add the December 18 early release and you effectively start Friday afternoon. It’s also peak-price travel season, so book by early October.
Spring break is the smarter value pick. March 15-19 gives you a clean five weekdays, and because ICCSD’s break lands the same week as Cedar Rapids, regional flights out of Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport fill fast. Fly out Saturday March 13 and return Sunday March 21.
The underrated option is Thanksgiving. With November 25, 26, and 27 all off, you get five straight days including the weekend. And for a short trip with almost no competition, look at the October 19 Monday or the April 23 Friday. Both give you a three-day weekend that other states’ school calendars don’t share.
See also: How to Refinance Student Loans in 2026-2027: A Complete Guide
School Closings History in Johnson County
ICCSD typically absorbs two to five weather cancellations a year without extending the school year, because the calendar is built with instructional hours banked above Iowa’s 1,080-hour minimum. In the 2024-25 year the district lost just enough time that it cancelled a single Thursday early release in June to recapture one hour rather than adding a day. Big Johnson County closure events, like the January 2024 storm that shut ICCSD, Solon, Lone Tree, and Clear Creek Amana on the same day, are usually cold-related as much as snow-related.
FAQs
Q: When does school start in Iowa City Community School District for 2026-2027?
A: The first day of classes for students is Monday, August 24, 2026. Teachers return August 18-21, with new teacher workshops running August 12, 13, 14, and 17. The first day of preschool classes is Aug 31, 2026.
Q: When is the last day of school for Iowa City schools?
A: The last day of classes for students is Friday, June 4, 2027, and it’s a 2-hour early release day. That same day marks the end of the third trimester. Seniors finish earlier, on May 28, 2027.
Q: When is spring break for Iowa City schools in 2027?
A: Spring break runs March 15-19, 2027. There’s no school all five days, and district buildings are fully closed on March 18 and 19. Note that March 26 is also a no-school day for Good Friday, so late March is light on classroom time.
Q: How many school days does Iowa City Community School District have this year?
A: There are 174 student days total, split as 57 days in the first trimester, 59 in the second, and 58 in the third. ICCSD meets Iowa’s requirement by instructional hours rather than days, and the calendar is built with hours to spare above the 1,080-hour minimum.
Q: Are there any school closings or delays I should know about?
A: Weather closings aren’t scheduled in advance. ICCSD announces cancellations by 6:00 a.m. on the morning of a closure, and cold-weather cancellations are announced by 9:00 p.m. the night before. Sign up for district alerts and download the official Iowa City Schools mobile app so you don’t have to refresh a webpage at dawn.
Final Word
Bookmark this page now, while the calendar is still fresh and nothing has changed. For real-time closings, late starts, and early dismissals, always go to iowacityschools.org or the district’s mobile app, since those move faster than any calendar can. And check back in early March, when spring break questions spike and everyone suddenly needs to know whether March 19 is really off. It is.
The PublicSchoolsCalendar.com Team compiles and verifies public school calendar data for districts across all 50 US states, drawing on official district websites and published family calendars to keep every page accurate and up to date.
