Napa County California Schools Calendar
Napa County is a county in the state of California, and its public schools are run by several separate districts, plus the Napa County Office of Education, which coordinates them.
Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) is by far the largest. It serves the city of Napa, American Canyon, and surrounding communities from its administrative office at 2425 Jefferson Street in Napa. American Canyon High School is part of NVUSD, though the county’s calendar chart lists it separately because its schedule can differ slightly from other district sites.
The smaller districts are:
- Calistoga Joint Unified School District
- St. Helena Unified School District
- Howell Mountain Elementary School District in Angwin, a single-school district
- Pope Valley Union Elementary School District, also a single-school district
New Technology High School and Camille Creek Community School appear on the countywide chart too. Camille Creek is a county community school run by the Napa County Office of Education at 2097 Imola Avenue. The county office, at 2121 Imola Avenue, also runs the State Preschool and infant programs. Those follow their own calendars, which in recent years have started and ended on different dates than K-12 schools.
Each district’s governing board adopts its own calendar. The county office does not set dates for the districts. It collects them into one countywide chart each summer, which is the most useful single document for families who live near a district boundary or have children in more than one district. The Napa County Board of Education, which oversees the county office, meets on the first Tuesday of each month, but it does not approve district calendars.
The 2026-27 School Year at a Glance
The dates below are for Napa Valley Unified, based on the revised 2026-27 calendar and the countywide chart the county office revised on August 14, 2026. If you see an older version of either document, it may not match.
Key dates:
- August 10 and 11, 2026: Professional days for staff, no school for students
- August 12, 2026 (Wednesday): First day of school, with early release on August 12, 13, and 14
- September 7: Labor Day, no school
- October 9: Professional learning day, no school for students
- October 26 to 30: Minimum days for elementary and middle school conferencing
- October 30: End of the first trimester for elementary and middle schools
- November 11: Veterans Day
- November 23 to 27: Thanksgiving break
- December 18: End of the first semester
- December 21, 2026 to January 8, 2027: Winter recess
- January 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- February 15: Presidents’ Day (some Napa County districts also close on the Friday before)
- March 22 to 26: Spring recess
- May 31: Memorial Day
- June 4, 2027 (Friday): Last day of school
- June 18: Juneteenth
Two details trip up families every year. The first week of school is early release, so working parents need after-school plans from day one, not from the following Monday. The late-October conferencing week means shortened days for younger students for five days in a row, which is a bigger disruption than a typical single minimum day.
Families moving between wine country and the Central Coast often compare how the two regions structure their years. Setting the Monterey County schools calendar next to the Napa County schools calendar shows how much district-to-district variation exists even inside one state: start dates, fall breaks, and spring recess weeks can differ by a week or more.
How the Other Districts Differ
The countywide chart shows that the smaller districts follow the same general pattern but diverge on the details. All of them are closed for Thanksgiving week (November 23 to 27) and for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, and Juneteenth. Winter recess starts December 21 in every district, though the return date varies: most go back January 8, while some end the break at the start of January and at least one extends it to January 11.
Spring recess and the last day of school vary more. NVUSD’s spring recess is March 22 to 26. Calistoga and St. Helena schedule theirs for April 5 to 9, which lines up with the week after Easter. Pope Valley’s runs from March 26 to April 2. Last days of school range from June 3 to June 10 across the county, with Pope Valley and Calistoga running later than most.
If you have children in different districts, check the countywide chart before booking travel. A spring break trip that works for one child may collide with school days for another.
Why the Calendar Looks the Way It Does
California requires districts to offer 180 days of instruction each year. The state also sets minimum instructional minutes by grade: 36,000 for kindergarten, 50,400 for grades 1 through 3, 54,000 for grades 4 through 8, and 64,800 for grades 9 through 12. Districts that fall short can lose state funding, which is why you will see early release days balanced elsewhere and why days lost to emergencies matter so much.
The countywide chart from recent years lists 180 instructional days for most Napa County schools, and 182 for St. Helena. Teacher workdays are counted separately, typically between 183 and 186 days. The extra days beyond 180 are for training, planning, and grading, and students are not in class.
Calendars are also negotiated. Districts work out dates with their teachers’ and classified employees’ unions, which is why you often see them approved many months in advance. A district may adopt calendars for more than one year at a time. That is usually good news for families, since it means next year’s start date may already be known.
Urban, Suburban, and Rural: How Geography Shapes the School Year
Napa County is small, but it contains three different kinds of school environments, and they experience the calendar differently.
The city of Napa and American Canyon are the most urban and suburban parts of the county. NVUSD has the most schools, the most bus routes, and the most after-school and childcare options. Families there can usually find a backup if school is canceled, and transit is available through VINE. American Canyon is closer to Vallejo and the Solano County line than to upvalley Napa, and many families there commute south, so their work schedule may follow a different rhythm than a school calendar aimed at Napa-based employers.
Upvalley towns such as Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga are small and tourism- and agriculture-driven. The St. Helena and Calistoga districts are small enough that a single decision, such as adding a make-up day or shifting spring break, affects most of a town. Families in the hospitality and wine industries often work through peak periods, so the late-summer start can overlap with the beginning of harvest, and fall weekends are among the busiest of the year for service workers.
Angwin and Pope Valley are the most rural. Howell Mountain Elementary serves about 93 students at one school, and Pope Valley Union serves about 48. Distances are longer, road options are limited, and there is no public transit alternative if a bus does not run. In these communities, a closure caused by a road issue, a power outage, or fire can be harder to work around, and the school itself is often a community hub. These small districts are also the ones most likely to have a calendar that differs from NVUSD’s, so do not assume the larger district’s dates apply.
Fire, Smoke, and Power Outages
Napa County has a more direct relationship with emergency closures than most California counties. In October 2017, the wildfires that began on a Sunday night closed NVUSD, Calistoga, and St. Helena schools for the remainder of that week, and NVUSD later extended its closure because of unhealthy air. In October 2019, NVUSD canceled several days of class during PG&E’s public safety power shutoffs.
After those events, NVUSD built emergency closure days into its calendar starting with the 2020-21 school year, leaving three days in April and May unscheduled as backup time. This is a common approach in fire-prone areas, because California funds schools based on attendance, and districts can apply to the state for credit for days lost to emergencies. Some smaller districts, including Howell Mountain, list “closed school make-up” days on the countywide chart for the same reason. Check whether your district’s current calendar still holds days in reserve, because those days can become school days with little notice if the district has lost time to closures.
Smoke is the hardest closure to predict. Districts rely on air quality readings, and decisions sometimes come the evening before or even the morning of. If your child has asthma or a breathing condition, ask the school office and your child’s doctor in advance what the plan is for poor air days, and whether indoor air filtration is available at their site.
Where to Find Current Information and Closure Announcements
The best source for your district’s calendar is the district itself, and the best source for a side-by-side comparison is the Napa County Office of Education’s countywide chart. Calendars get revised, sometimes in the weeks after school has started, as the August 14, 2026 revision shows. If you find a calendar online with no revision date, or one that mentions a past school year, do not rely on it.
For closures and emergencies, use these in order:
- The district’s automated calls, texts, and emails. Make sure your phone number and email are up to date with your child’s school office, because many families miss alerts simply because their contact information changed.
- The district’s website and official social media accounts.
- Local news, including the Napa Valley Register, the St. Helena Star, and the Calistoga Tribune, and local radio such as KVON and KVYN.
- Regional television stations that cover the North Bay, including KTVU and KRON 4, which have historically reported on Napa school closures during major events.
- Napa County’s emergency alert sign-up, which covers fire and evacuation notices that go beyond what a school sends out.
When a closure affects more than one district, check each district separately. In past emergencies, Napa County districts closed at different times and reopened on different days.
For direct contact, Napa Valley Unified’s main office is at 707-253-3715, and the Napa County Office of Education is at 707-253-6810.
Planning the Year as a Family
A few habits make the school year easier no matter where you live in the county.
Put the full calendar into your phone in August, including the non-student days. October 9, for example, is a workday for teachers but not a school day, and many families first learn this the week before. Add the late-October conferencing week as a block, not as individual days.
Keep a childcare backup for the first week of school, for conferencing week, and for any day that appears to be a district-wide training day. Several local organizations run before- and after-school programs, and the county office also runs some expanded learning programs, so ask your child’s school what is available at your site.
If you are new to the county, confirm which district your address belongs to before assuming anything. Boundaries do not follow city lines, and a home with a Napa mailing address may be served by a different district than you would expect. The county office can help you confirm this.
If you have a high schooler, look at the first-semester end date (December 18) and the grade reporting dates. For middle and elementary students, the trimester schedule matters more than the semester.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does school start in Napa County in 2026?
Napa Valley Unified starts on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, with early release through August 14. Other districts start on different dates, so check your district’s calendar.
When is the last day of school?
For Napa Valley Unified, it is Friday, June 4, 2027. Across the county, last days range from June 3 to June 10.
When is Thanksgiving break?
All districts on the countywide chart are closed November 23 to 27, 2026.
When is winter break?
Napa Valley Unified is out from December 21, 2026 through January 8, 2027. A few districts have a shorter or slightly longer break.
When is spring break?
NVUSD’s spring recess is March 22 to 26, 2027. Calistoga and St. Helena schedule theirs for April 5 to 9, and Pope Valley’s runs from March 26 to April 2.
Why is there no school on October 9?
It is a professional learning day for staff. Students do not attend.
How many days of school does California require?
Districts must offer 180 days of instruction and meet state minimums for instructional minutes by grade level.
What happens if school is canceled for fire or smoke?
The district may use built-in backup days, extend the school year, or apply to the state for credit for days lost. Your district will announce which approach it is using.
Where is the official calendar?
Each district posts its own, and the Napa County Office of Education publishes the countywide chart on its website.
Are private schools on the same calendar?
No. Private and parochial schools set their own dates, and they often differ from the public districts.
Do preschool and infant programs follow the K-12 calendar?
Not always. The county office’s State Preschool and infant programs have run on their own schedules in recent years, so confirm with the program directly.
I live near a district boundary. Which calendar applies?
The calendar of the district your child is enrolled in. If you are unsure which district serves your address, contact the Napa County Office of Education.