CPS releases calendar for 2020-21 school year

Chicago Public Schools officials Monday released a much-anticipated proposed calendar for the 2020-21 school year that will see students start classes later than ever in September and remain in school into the fourth week of June.

The calendar — released a month later than usual — is on the agenda for a vote at Wednesday’s monthly school board meeting. If approved, the next school year will start Sept. 8, the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Winter break would start Dec. 21 with students going back to school Jan. 4. Spring break would fall from March 29 to April 2.

The last day of classes for students would be Tuesday, June 22, with teachers scheduled to work until June 24. However, the calendar notes that if emergency makeup days are needed for any reason, school could possibly extend through July 1. In the past, CPS has added days to the end of the year to make up for days lost to weather or work stoppages by the union.

Though parents had speculated there could be changes to the schedule from years past, the proposed calendar follows CPS tradition.

CPS’ year has typically started the Tuesday after Labor Day. But with the holiday falling seven days into September this year, some wondered whether the district would start its year on Aug. 31 or earlier.

By keeping with its usual calendar, CPS continues to stand out as an outlier across the state, with more Illinois students going back to school earlier and earlier in August.

School districts have slowly moved up start dates over the past decade or more. Some districts marked their earliest start date ever this school year as hundreds statewide held class in mid-August.