If you have a child in St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, you know the drill. Summer flies by. Then one morning you realize you have no idea when school starts, when Mardi Gras break lands, or whether you can book that trip in March. This page fixes that.
Everything below covers the St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 26-27 for the parish’s public school system in Covington, Louisiana. We verified this directly from the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools official website and the district-released 2026-2027 District Calendar PDF.
You will find the St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 26-27 first day of school, every holiday, every half day, all four grading period end dates, the LEAP testing windows, and a direct link to the St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 26-27 printable PDF straight from the district’s own server. No third-party guesswork.
One note before we start. St. Tammany does something a little different in August. Instead of sending every student in on day one, the district runs two Smart Start Days split by last name. That trips up first-time parents every single year, so read the August section closely.
Parents bookmark this page because the district’s calendar is a one-page PDF, and one page is not enough when you are trying to plan a whole year around it.
At-a-Glance Summary
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| District | St. Tammany Parish Public Schools |
| State | Louisiana |
| Academic year | 2026-2027 |
| First day of school (all students) | Monday, August 10, 2026 |
| Smart Start Day, last names A-L | Thursday, August 6, 2026 |
| Smart Start Day, last names M-Z | Friday, August 7, 2026 |
| Last day of school | Tuesday, May 25, 2027 (half day for students) |
| Total school days | Approximately 175 (see note below) |
| Next upcoming holiday | Labor Day Holiday, Monday, September 7, 2026 |
| End of first semester | Friday, December 18, 2026 |
| Spring/Easter Break | March 26 – April 2, 2027 |
| Last verified | July 30, 2026 |
A word on the total. The district does not print a day count on its one-page calendar. Count every weekday from August 10 to May 25, remove each holiday and closure the district lists, and add the one Smart Start Day your child attends, and you land at roughly 175 student days. Treat that as a calculation from the official calendar, not a district-published number. Louisiana measures the school year in instructional minutes as well as days, so the exact figure your school reports may differ slightly.
Key Dates Table for the St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 26-27
Every date here comes from the district’s published 2026-2027 calendar.
| Event | Start Date | End Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachers’ Professional Development | Aug. 3, 2026 | Aug. 4, 2026 | No school for students |
| Teachers’ Day | Aug. 5, 2026 | Aug. 5, 2026 | No school for students |
| Smart Start Day, last names A-L | Aug. 6, 2026 | Aug. 6, 2026 | Staggered start, A-L cohort only |
| Smart Start Day, last names M-Z | Aug. 7, 2026 | Aug. 7, 2026 | Staggered start, M-Z cohort only |
| First day, all students attend | Aug. 10, 2026 | Aug. 10, 2026 | Full enrollment reports |
| Labor Day Holiday | Sept. 7, 2026 | Sept. 7, 2026 | Possible make-up day in an emergency |
| Parish Fair Day | Oct. 2, 2026 | Oct. 2, 2026 | Local holiday, possible make-up day |
| Fall Holiday | Oct. 5, 2026 | Oct. 5, 2026 | Possible make-up day |
| End of First Grading Period | Oct. 9, 2026 | Oct. 9, 2026 | Half day for students, half day record keeping |
| Election Day | Nov. 3, 2026 | Nov. 3, 2026 | Listed on the official calendar |
| Thanksgiving Holidays | Nov. 23, 2026 | Nov. 27, 2026 | Full week off, possible make-up days |
| LEAP Fall Testing Window, grades 9-12 | Nov. 30, 2026 | Dec. 11, 2026 | Per district testing schedule |
| End of Second Grading Period and First Semester | Dec. 18, 2026 | Dec. 18, 2026 | Half day for students, half day record keeping |
| Winter/Christmas Break | Dec. 21, 2026 | Jan. 4, 2027 | Possible make-up days |
| Professional Development and Teacher Work Day | Jan. 5, 2027 | Jan. 5, 2027 | Half and half, no school for students |
| School reopens for students | Jan. 6, 2027 | Jan. 6, 2027 | Second semester classes resume |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday | Jan. 18, 2027 | Jan. 18, 2027 | Possible make-up day |
| Mardi Gras Holidays | Feb. 8, 2027 | Feb. 12, 2027 | Full week off, possible make-up days |
| End of Third Grading Period | March 12, 2027 | March 12, 2027 | Half day for students, half day record keeping |
| Spring/Easter Break | March 26, 2027 | April 2, 2027 | Subject to adjustment if state testing conflicts |
| LEAP Spring Testing Window, grade 3 | April 7, 2027 | April 13, 2027 | Windows are April 7-9 and April 12-13 |
| Professional Development | April 5, 2027 | April 5, 2027 | No school for students |
| All students return to school | April 6, 2027 | April 6, 2027 | Back from spring break |
| LEAP Spring Testing Window, grades 4-8 | April 19, 2027 | April 30, 2027 | Excludes Lee Road Junior High and Fifth Ward Junior High |
| LEAP Spring Testing Window, grades 9-12 | April 21, 2027 | May 5, 2027 | Per district testing schedule |
| End of Fourth Grading Period, Second Semester and Session | May 25, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | Last day of school, half day for students |
| Teachers’ Day | May 26, 2027 | May 26, 2027 | Staff only |
Source: St. Tammany Parish Public Schools official 2026-2027 District Calendar. ACT testing dates are listed as to be determined on the official calendar.
Month-by-Month Breakdown
Here is the same year, broken out month by month, so you can scan the stretch you actually care about.
| Month | Days Off or Non-Attendance for Students | Other Key Dates |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | Aug. 3, 4, 5 (staff days) | Aug. 6 and 7 Smart Start Days, Aug. 10 all students attend |
| September 2026 | Sept. 7 Labor Day Holiday | Full month of instruction otherwise |
| October 2026 | Oct. 2 Parish Fair Day, Oct. 5 Fall Holiday | Oct. 9 end of first grading period, half day |
| November 2026 | Nov. 3 Election Day, Nov. 23-27 Thanksgiving | Nov. 30 start of grades 9-12 LEAP fall window |
| December 2026 | Dec. 21-31 Winter/Christmas Break | Dec. 11 end of fall testing window, Dec. 18 end of first semester, half day |
| January 2027 | Jan. 1 and Jan. 4 break, Jan. 5 staff day, Jan. 18 MLK Holiday | Jan. 6 school reopens for students |
| February 2027 | Feb. 8-12 Mardi Gras Holidays | Longest single break of the spring semester |
| March 2027 | March 26 and March 29-31 Spring/Easter Break | March 12 end of third grading period, half day |
| April 2027 | April 1, 2 Spring Break, April 5 Professional Development | April 6 students return, LEAP spring windows run all month |
| May 2027 | None listed before the last day | May 25 last day of school, half day; May 26 Teachers’ Day |
Always double-check and verify the calendar on the official St. Tammany Parish Public Schools website before you book travel, schedule medical appointments, or make childcare arrangements. Board-approved dates can be revised, and emergency closures can shift holidays. The district’s site is the only source that reflects same-day changes.
Download the Official St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 2026-2027 Printable PDF
Want the real thing on your fridge? Grab it here. Official district calendar PDF: Printable Calendar Download
That link goes to the district’s own file server, not a copy. It is a single page, prints clean on letter-size paper, and includes the color-coded month grids plus the full legend. If you are looking for a St Tammany Parish Schools Calendar 2026 27 template to drop into Google Calendar or a family planner, the PDF is the safest starting point. Copy dates from it, not from aggregator sites.
Two printing tips. Print in color if you can, because the legend uses shading to separate staff days from student holidays. And print two copies, one for the fridge and one for the car or the backpack.
See also: Rock Hill Schools Calendar 2026-2027 | Printable PDF
About St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools serves the entire parish on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, with its central office in downtown Covington at 321 N. Theard Street and an annex in Slidell for the east side of the parish. It is the fifth-largest school district in Louisiana, serving close to 39,000 students across 55 schools, and it is the parish’s largest employer with more than 5,800 people on staff. Frank J. Jabbia has served as Superintendent since October 2020. He was born and raised in St. Tammany Parish and graduated from the parish’s own public school system. The district motto is “Every Child, Every Day for a Successful Future.” Schools span pre-K through grade 12 and cover Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, Lacombe, Pearl River, Folsom, Madisonville, and Abita Springs.
What Parents in St. Tammany Parish Should Know This Year
Three things stand out on the 2026-2027 calendar.
First, the Smart Start Days. August 6 is for students with last names A through L. August 7 is for M through Z. Your child attends one of those two days, not both. Everyone reports together starting Monday, August 10. If you have kids with different last names in the house, check twice.
Second, spring break is genuinely long, and it is genuinely conditional. Students are off March 26 through April 2, then April 5 is a professional development day with no school. Add the weekends and that is a full ten calendar days away from campus, from Friday, March 26 through Monday, April 5, with students back on Tuesday, April 6. But the official calendar carries a specific footnote: if state testing conflicts with the proposed Easter/Spring Break holiday, the break will be adjusted accordingly. So this is the one break you should not book non-refundable travel around until the district confirms it in the spring.
Third, almost every holiday on this calendar carries an asterisk. On the official PDF, that asterisk means the same thing every year in south Louisiana: in an emergency, student make-up days come out of existing holidays. Hurricane season overlaps the first three months of school. If a storm closes campuses in September, the days most likely to disappear are Parish Fair Day, the Fall Holiday, or part of Thanksgiving.
One more detail worth noting. The School Board requires an appropriate program for Veterans’ Day on November 11, and administrators are asked to avoid scheduling activities on September 11 for Rosh Hashanah and September 20 for Yom Kippur, with observance beginning at sundown the day before.
How St. Tammany Compares to Neighboring Districts
St. Tammany lines up almost exactly with Tangipahoa Parish next door. Tangipahoa students also start Monday, August 10, 2026, after a week of professional development. Both parishes take Labor Day on September 7, both take the full Thanksgiving week of November 23-27, both observe Mardi Gras February 8-12, and both schedule spring break March 26 through April 2. The difference shows up at the finish line: Tangipahoa wraps up on May 24, 2027, one day ahead of St. Tammany’s May 25 close. Jefferson Parish Public Schools, across the lake, runs a noticeably earlier start in early August and a later finish in late May, and its spring break does not perfectly overlap St. Tammany’s, which matters if you have cousins on the Southshore and want to travel together. Confirm Jefferson’s dates on their own district site before planning around them.
Planning a Family Trip? Best Times to Travel in St. Tammany Parish
Two windows are clearly the best, and one of them is underrated.
The strongest option is Winter/Christmas Break, December 21 through January 4. That is a full two weeks plus a bonus student day on January 5, since students do not return until January 6. Flights are expensive, but the length is unbeatable.
The underrated pick is Mardi Gras week, February 8-12. A full week off with a weekend on either end, and it is the cheapest airfare window of the school year for anyone flying out of the New Orleans area. If you want a break from the parades rather than a seat at them, this is your week.
Spring break, March 26 through April 2 plus the April 5 staff day, is the longest continuous stretch after winter. Just remember the testing footnote. Book refundable if you can, or wait for the district to confirm.
Thanksgiving week, November 23-27, is a solid five-day option for driving trips. It is also the break most likely to be eaten by hurricane make-up days, so keep it flexible.
See also: School Holiday List 2026–2027 USA: Complete Guide for Every Family
School Closings History in St. Tammany Parish
South Louisiana does not use snow days, until it does. In January 2025, a winter storm closed all St. Tammany Parish Public Schools and offices from Tuesday, January 21 through Friday, January 24, with the final day of closure caused by freeze damage on campuses and icy bus routes. Hurricanes are the bigger and more familiar risk. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, the district’s schools stayed closed for roughly two weeks before reopening on September 13. That history is exactly why the asterisks on this calendar matter.
FAQs
Q: When does school start in St. Tammany Parish for 2026-2027?
A: All students attend on Monday, August 10, 2026. Before that, Smart Start Days run August 6 for last names A-L and August 7 for last names M-Z, so most students have one earlier attendance day.
Q: When is the last day of school for St. Tammany Parish?
A: Tuesday, May 25, 2027. It is a half day for students and doubles as the end of the fourth grading period, the second semester, and the full session.
Q: When is spring break for St. Tammany Parish in 2027?
A: Spring/Easter Break runs March 26 through April 2, 2027. April 5 is a professional development day with no school for students, and everyone returns Tuesday, April 6. The official calendar notes the break may be adjusted if state testing conflicts with it.
Q: How many school days does St. Tammany Parish have this year?
A: The district does not print a total on its one-page calendar. Counting weekdays from August 10 to May 25 and removing every listed holiday and closure, the year works out to roughly 175 student days including one Smart Start Day. Confirm with your school if you need an exact figure.
Q: Are there any school closings or delays I should know about?
A: Nothing is pre-scheduled beyond the holidays listed above. Every holiday marked with an asterisk on the official calendar can be converted into a make-up day if an emergency closure happens, which in this parish usually means a hurricane or a hard freeze. Check the district website and its social channels for real-time announcements.
Final Word
Bookmark this page now, before the August rush. Dates on this calendar are board-approved, but they are not carved in stone, and the only place that reflects a same-day closure is the district’s own site at stpsb.org. Check back in March, when the spring break question gets asked most, and the testing footnote could still move things. And if you are printing the PDF, do it before the first grading period ends in October, when half days start catching families off guard.
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.
