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Northwest ISD finalized 2024-25 and 2025-26 instructional calendars Jan. 8. School starts Aug. 14, winter break runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3, and May 23 is the last day of school. (Courtesy photo | Northwest ISD)
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Get out those Ticonderogas and begin marking these important dates. 

Northwest ISD has solidified its calendars for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school year. Reflecting community preferences and fostering continuity, they said, board trustees on Jan. 8 unanimously ratified an instructional calendar for the next academic year. 

The district mirrored the structure of 2023-24’s calendar. For instance, the first day of school for each school year begins the third Wednesday of August, Aug. 14, 2024, and Aug. 13, 2025.

This year, Northwest ISD’s spring break aligns with Tarrant County College’s break. The decision was made strategically, said Stephanie Espinosa, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning.

Winter break will begin on the third Friday of December, Dec. 20, 2024, and Dec. 19, 2025, concluding Jan. 3, 2025, and Jan. 2, 2026.

Two additional days off are scheduled for students immediately following the weeks after winter and spring breaks to assist with teacher preparation.

In Texas, school districts are mandated to offer 75,600 minutes, or 1,260 hours, of instructional time each academic year to qualify for full funding. These school calendars offer 77,395 minutes, 445 per day.

If a district can’t meet hours due to unplanned events, like bad weather days, the Texas Education Agency can grant a waiver good for 420 minutes, or seven hours, of that school day. TEA will not grant districts more than 4,200 minutes, or 10 school days, waived for that year, according to the agency.

Highlighted below are the pivotal dates for the next two school years:

2024-25 academic year

First day of school: Aug. 14

Labor Day: Sept. 2

Holiday: Oct. 14

No school: Nov. 4-5

Thanksgiving break: Nov. 25-29

Last day of fall semester: Dec. 19

Winter break: Dec. 20-Jan. 3

No school: Jan. 6-7

First day of spring semester: Jan. 8

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Jan. 20

President’s Day: Feb. 17

Spring break: March 17-21

No school: March 24-25

Holiday: April 18

Last day of school: May 23

2025-26 academic year

First day of school: Aug. 13

Labor Day: Sept. 1

Holiday: Oct. 13

No school: Nov. 3-4

Thanksgiving break: Nov. 24-28

Last day of fall semester: Dec. 18

Winter break: Dec. 19-Jan. 2

No school: Jan. 5-6

First day of spring semester: Jan. 7

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Jan. 19

President’s Day: Feb. 16

Spring break: March 16-20

No school: March 23-24

Holiday: April 3

Last day of school: May 22

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1 on X, formerly known as Twitter.