Union County florida schools calendar

Florida’s smallest county by land area is served by Union County District Schools, a four-school system with roughly 2,500 students centered on Lake Butler. The district operates one countywide calendar, and for 2026-27 it has a few features worth noting: a start date of Wednesday, August 12, one of the later openings in the state, a nine-day spring break in late March, and a graduation day set for May 21, well before the school year’s final teacher workday.

Parents who follow more than one North Florida district, whether for work, family or custody schedules, can open the Union County schools calendar alongside the Taylor County schools calendar. Both are small rural districts with spring breaks in the last third of March, but Union starts a day later and stretches its break to nine days, March 20 through 28, while Taylor takes a single week, March 22 through 26.

School District Structure in Union County

Union County has one public school district, Union County District Schools, governed by the Union County School Board. The district office is at 55 SW 6th Street in Lake Butler, the county seat, and the district website is union.k12.fl.us. The board meets in public session, with agendas and meeting dates posted online, and a superintendent oversees daily operations.

There are no separate city school systems in the county. Students in Lake Butler, Raiford, Worthington Springs, Providence and the surrounding countryside attend schools under the same board and calendar. The district’s four schools serve prekindergarten through grade 12 and include Union County High School, Lake Butler Middle School and Lake Butler Elementary School.

Union is intensely rural, with pine plantations, farms and the Santa Fe River on its southern edge. Raiford is home to a cluster of state correctional facilities that are among the county’s largest employers, so many families work for the Florida Department of Corrections, which shapes shift schedules and the importance of dependable school hours. With so few schools, a bus route can cover a large share of the county, and a single closure decision affects almost everyone at once.

Academic Calendar Structure

For 2026-27, the district begins the fiscal year July 1, and students start school on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The district’s calendar counts instructional days directly. The first quarter ends on the 41st day of school, October 9, 2026, and the second quarter ends on the 83rd day, December 17, 2026. The district lists graduation day as May 21, 2027, and May 27, 2027 as a teacher workday. Because the published summary does not name a final student day, confirm the exact last day with the district calendar.

Florida requires 180 instructional days or an equivalent in hours, and Union’s calendar is built to meet that standard, with the district listing 180 instructional days for the year.

School day hours are set by level and school, so elementary, middle and high school start and dismissal times differ. Check your school’s page or the district’s transportation information for exact times.

School Holidays and Breaks

The 2026-27 calendar includes these closures:

• Labor Day: Monday, September 7, 2026.
• Professional development day: Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
• Professional development day: Friday, November 20, 2026.
• Thanksgiving break: November 21 through 29, 2026, a nine-day stretch including the weekends.
• Winter break: Begins December 19, 2026 and runs into early January.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Observed in January with schools closed.
• Professional development day: Wednesday, February 3, 2027.
• Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 15, 2027.
• Spring break: March 20 through 28, 2027, a nine-day stretch.
• Professional development day: Friday, April 23, 2027.
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 31, 2027, after the school year ends.

Exact dates change from year to year, so use this as the current adopted schedule and confirm it on the district website before booking travel.

How to Find the Official Union County Calendar

The official calendar is on the district website at union.k12.fl.us, where the school calendar is posted as a downloadable document. Third-party sites reproduce the dates, but the district’s version is the authoritative one. Be careful when searching, since Georgia, North Carolina and other states have a Union County with a different school calendar, and some online listings mix them up.

The School Board adopts the calendar at a public meeting, and agendas and minutes are posted online. Individual schools publish their own calendars for open houses, athletics, performances and parent nights. If your children attend different schools, you will usually need the district calendar plus each school’s page.

Early Release Days, Teacher Workdays and Professional Development

Union schedules professional development days spread across the year, on September 30, November 20, February 3 and April 23 in 2026-27, with a teacher workday on May 27, 2027. Students are out on professional development days while teachers train and plan, and the spacing creates a long weekend around the November and April dates.

Early dismissals and schedule changes are announced through the district calendar, school messages, automated calls, texts and email, so keep your contact information current in the parent portal. Florida sets training requirements for teachers, and the district decides where to place professional development within the calendar.

Emergency Closures and Weather Days

Union County is inland, but North Florida storms still reach it. Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Helene in 2024 each brought wind, heavy rain and power outages across the region, and tornadoes and flooding along the Santa Fe River and its tributaries are additional risks. The district decides on closures in coordination with Union County Emergency Management, and schools may be used as shelters.

If instructional time is lost, the district can add days to the calendar or seek relief from the state, depending on the circumstances. Check the district’s notices for the current plan.

Closure announcements go out through the district’s automated call, text and email system, union.k12.fl.us and the district’s social media. Local and regional media also carry them, including the Union County Times, the Gainesville Sun, WCJB TV20, WJXT, First Coast News and Action News Jax.

Graduation and End-of-Year Schedule

Final exams for secondary students fall in the last weeks of the spring semester, and each school publishes its own exam schedule. Union County High School holds graduation on May 21, 2027, one of the earlier graduations in the region, and the school announces the time and venue, which is commonly the school’s own stadium or gym.

Elementary and middle schools hold their own promotion and recognition events near the end of the year. Report cards are issued at the end of each quarter, and families can view grades through the district’s online parent portal.

Back-to-School and Registration Information

Families new to Union can register through the district’s enrollment process or by contacting their zoned school. Because the district has only four schools, assignments are straightforward, and the front office staff can usually answer questions directly. Registration typically requires:

• Proof of residency in Union County, such as a lease, mortgage statement or utility bill
• The child’s birth certificate or other proof of age
• A Florida immunization record
• A school entry health exam on the required Florida form
• Records from the prior school, if transferring

Supply lists are usually posted by individual schools during the summer, and Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday typically falls in August. Orientation and meet-the-teacher dates vary by school, so contact your school’s office for details.

Special Programs and Their Calendar Implications

Most Union programs follow the district calendar, but some differ. Students taking dual enrollment courses through nearby colleges, such as Santa Fe College in Gainesville or Florida Gateway College in Lake City, follow the college’s calendar for those classes, and its start dates and breaks differ from the K-12 schedule. Career and technical programs available regionally may add their own events and requirements.

Pre-K programs, including Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program, may use different hours or calendars, so confirm with the specific program. Alternative and virtual learning options may have their own enrollment windows. Private schools and homeschool programs in the county set their own calendars.

Athletics and Extracurricular Calendar

High school athletics in Union are governed by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), which sets season dates, eligibility and playoff schedules. Athletic calendars are separate from the academic calendar but connected to it. Football and volleyball begin near the start of school, winter sports run through the holiday break, and spring sports overlap with the nine-day March break and end-of-year exams. In a district this small, athletic teams often share facilities and travel long distances for games, so check with your school’s athletic department for schedules.

How Florida Law Governs the Union County Calendar

The Florida Legislature and the Florida Department of Education set the framework for every district’s calendar. The state requires 180 instructional days or the equivalent in hours, limits how early school can start in August, and schedules statewide assessments that districts must plan around. Union follows the statewide testing calendar.

Within those limits, the Union County School Board decides start and end dates, quarter breaks, holiday closures and professional development days. That authority explains the district’s particular choices, such as counting instructional days by number, taking a long March spring break and holding graduation before the year’s last workday.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Union County, Florida?
For 2026-27, the first day for students is Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

When does school get out for summer in Union County?
Graduation is May 21, 2027 and the last teacher workday is May 27, 2027, so the last student day falls in the last week of May. Check the district calendar for the exact date.

How many days are in a school year in Union County?
Florida requires 180 instructional days or an equivalent in hours, and Union’s calendar lists 180 instructional days.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today in Union County?
Watch for district calls, texts and emails, check union.k12.fl.us and the district’s social media, and follow local news including the Union County Times, the Gainesville Sun, WCJB TV20, WJXT, First Coast News and Action News Jax.

What is the spring break schedule for Union County schools?
Spring break for 2026-27 runs March 20 through 28, 2027.

How do I enroll my child in Union County schools?
Contact your zoned school or the district office in Lake Butler. You will need proof of residency, a birth certificate, immunization records and a health exam form.

Are there any year-round schools in Union County?
Union County District Schools operates on a traditional calendar. Confirm with the district if a particular program follows a different schedule.

Who do I contact about school calendar questions in Union County?
Start with your child’s school office, then the district office at 55 SW 6th Street in Lake Butler or the contact information on union.k12.fl.us.