Waterloo Community Schools Winter Break 2026

The 2026-2027 Waterloo Community Schools calendar puts winter break on Tue, Dec 22, 2026 to Fri, Jan 1, 2027, the same week as neighboring Iowa City Community School District. Plan around Fri, Dec 18, 2026 as the last day of classes and Mon, Jan 4, 2027 as the first day back.

winter breakDecember 22, 2026 to January 1, 20279 school days

Last day beforeFri, Dec 18, 2026

School resumesMon, Jan 4, 2027

Days off in a row16Dec 19 to Jan 3

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Planning notes

Christmas Day (Friday, December 25, 2026) and New Year’s Day (Friday, January 1, 2027) both fall inside the break.
Students also have no school on Mon, Dec 21, 2026, which makes the time off 16 days long.

Verified against Waterloo Community Schools’ official 2026-2027 calendar on September 29, 2026. Confidence: Medium.

Source: Waterloo Community Schools 2026 / 2027 District Calendar (Elementary) (PDF)

We fetch this document again every day and compare it with the version we verified; if the district changes it, the dates here are read again.

Note: Rolling start: Aug 24 for K, 1, 2, 6, 9 and Aug 25 for 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 (both days have a 2-hour early dismissal); Pre-K starts Aug 27. First day is given as Aug 25 because most grades start then. Last day May 21 has a 2-hour early dismissal. Snow days will be made up at the end of the school year if needed, but no specific make-up dates are listed. Oct 27 and Feb 23 are regular school days for students, with conferences in the evening. Oct 29 and Feb 25 are no school for conferences. Oct 30 and Feb 26 are Teacher Comp Days with no school. Pre-K last day is May 20. This document is labeled Elementary and the document has no approval wording, so other grade levels may differ.

Winter break in nearby districts

4 of the other 4 Iowa districts we track have winter break the same week.

District	Winter break	Back to school
Waterloo Community Schools	December 22, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Mon, Jan 4, 2027
Iowa City Community School District	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Mon, Jan 4, 2027
Ankeny Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Mon, Jan 4, 2027
Des Moines Public Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Mon, Jan 4, 2027

Frequently asked questions

When does Waterloo Community Schools winter break start and end?

Winter break starts Tuesday, December 22, 2026 and ends Friday, January 1, 2027.

When do Waterloo Community Schools students go back to school after winter break?

Monday, January 4, 2027.

How many days off is winter break?

nine school days. With the weekends and the no-school days next to it, students are off 16 days in a row (Sat, Dec 19, 2026 to Sun, Jan 3, 2027).

Could Waterloo Community Schools winter break dates change?

The dates come from the district’s calendar. Districts sometimes revise a calendar after weather closures; we re-check the official document every week and update this page if it changes.

More Waterloo Community Schools dates

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We check every report against the district's official calendar, usually within two days. You are reporting a date for Waterloo Community Schools.

Waterloo Community Schools Winter Break 2026

Planning notes

Winter break in nearby districts

Frequently asked questions

More Waterloo Community Schools dates

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