Knox County Schools Winter Break 2026

Name: Knox County Schools Winter Break 2026
Start: 2026-12-21
End: 2027-01-01
Location: Knox County Schools

Winter break 2026 for Knox County Schools is Mon, Dec 21, 2026 to Fri, Jan 1, 2027. The last day of school before the break is Friday, December 18, 2026, and classes resume Tuesday, January 5, 2027.

winter breakDecember 21, 2026 to January 1, 202710 school days

Last day beforeFri, Dec 18, 2026

School resumesTue, Jan 5, 2027

Days off in a row17Dec 19 to Jan 4

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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, Jan 4, 2027, which makes the time off 17 days long.
Friday, December 18, 2026, the last day before the break, is an early release day.

Verified against Knox County Schools’ official 2026-2027 calendar on September 26, 2026 (board-approved version). Confidence: High.

Source: 2026-2027 Knox County Schools Calendar (PDF) · district calendar page

Note: The district's calendar page says calendars are published once approved by the Board of Education. Source is the Printer Friendly Version (Google Doc) linked from the Current Year calendar on that page; both give the same dates. The first day (Aug 10) and last day (May 26) are half days for students, as are Sep 16, Nov 18, Dec 18, Jan 27 and Mar 24. Systemwide in-service days with no school for students: Nov 3, Jan 4, Feb 15 and Apr 7 (Feb 15 is Presidents' Day, but the calendar lists it only as a systemwide in-service day/student holiday, not as a holiday). Schools are closed Friday March 26 and Monday March 29 (listed as "Holiday"). The calendar summary lists 180 instructional days: 177 student days plus 3 days accumulated under the daily 7-hour schedule. Up to 8 instructional days can be cancelled for inclement weather or illness before any make-up days are required.

Winter break in nearby districts

5 of the other 5 Tennessee districts we track have winter break the same week.

District	Winter break	Back to school
Knox County Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Tue, Jan 5, 2027
Hamilton County Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Wed, Jan 6, 2027

Frequently asked questions

When does Knox County Schools winter break start and end?

Winter break starts Monday, December 21, 2026 and ends Friday, January 1, 2027.

When do Knox County Schools students go back to school after winter break?

Tuesday, January 5, 2027.

How many days off is winter break?

ten school days. With the weekends and the no-school days next to it, students are off 17 days in a row (Sat, Dec 19, 2026 to Mon, Jan 4, 2027).

Is the last day before winter break an early release day?

Yes. Friday, December 18, 2026 is listed as an early release day.

Could Knox County Schools winter break dates change?

The dates come from the district’s board-approved 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 Knox County 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 Knox County Schools.

Knox County Schools Winter Break 2026

Planning notes

Winter break in nearby districts

Frequently asked questions

More Knox County Schools dates

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