It’s the kind of news every student hopes for: an unexpectedly longer holiday break. And this winter, that wish is officially coming true.
The newly updated 2025–26 NYC public school calendar gives students an extra day of winter recess. Schools will still close for the holidays beginning Wednesday, December 24th, but instead of reopening on Friday, January 2nd for a lone school day, the calendar shows that January 2nd will now be a day off for all students and staff.
Originally, the calendar had scheduled a one-day return on January 2nd before students headed into a full weekend, mirroring a similar situation from the 2024-25 school year. That year, Monday, December 23rd was positioned as an awkward single school day wedged between weekends and the holiday break. In response, Mayor Adams ultimately designated the day as an additional recess day to give families a more seamless holiday week.
With that precedent–and the fact that the last time January 2nd fell on a Friday in the 2014-15 school year it was also treated as a day off–it didn’t come as a major surprise that the DOE opted to revise the schedule again this time around.
Under New York State law, districts must meet a minimum of 180 instructional days or risk losing funding, but NYC still meets that requirement even with the added day off.
For students, families, and educators, the decision means the winter recess will now stretch from December 24th through January 2nd, giving everyone a smoother, uninterrupted holiday break–no awkward one-day return required.
And if last year taught us anything, it’s that students aren’t shy about advocating for a little more time off. A Brooklyn 7th grader even launched a petition to cancel the lone December 23rd school day last year–and won!
To make the most of the extended break, we have some suggestions:
- ⛸️ Lace up your skates and hit an ice rink
- 🛍️ Get a head start on your shopping at one of NYC’s many holiday markets
- 🎠 Take a spin on the city’s first-ever dazzling double-decker carousel