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Fairfax County Public Schools students will have fewer chances to recharge during the 2026-27 school year after the School Board reduced the number of days off from 40 to 33.

The calendar approved at a March 2026 meeting creates three additional five-day school weeks. It reverses part of a three-year plan adopted in 2023 that expanded cultural holiday observances, staff planning days and time off for special elections.

The earlier calendar gave students more opportunities to observe important occasions, manage growing workloads and step away from academic pressure. Turning holidays into instructional days risks undermining those benefits.

“FCPS supports a school calendar that prioritizes teaching and learning and exceeds state required instructional hours as we continue to provide a world class education for students,” the school system said in a public statement.

Veterans Day is among the observances that will become a full instructional day. Holding classes on the holiday could make it more difficult to give the occasion the recognition and respect it deserves.

The added instructional days will not translate into a longer summer. The upcoming break will last eight weeks, compared with 10 weeks during the 2023-24 school year. The FCPS calendar spans 303 days and leaves 62 days for summer, five fewer than Loudoun County and less than any other locality in the D.C. region.

Supporters of fewer school closures point to a practical concern: Many parents must work when classes are canceled and may be unable to afford child care. That burden is real, but changing the school calendar offers only a short-term response to a broader child-care problem.

Days away from class also are not necessarily days away from learning. Students often use them to study for tests, complete missing assignments, work ahead or make college visits.

“[FCPS] should give more breaks in between weeks because a lot of students are really busy on the weekends so the holiday is really helpful with managing homework,” sophomore Rebecca Sarmiento said. “Also, weekends are good for college visits.”

Breaks can help students balance schoolwork and mental health while allowing families to honor meaningful holidays. By eliminating seven of those days, FCPS is asking students to spend more full weeks in class and giving them less room to breathe—a decision the School Board should reconsider.