Logan County Colorado Schools Calendar

Four independent school districts educate roughly 2,700 students in Logan County, and Sterling’s Valley RE-1 serves about three out of every four of them. The rest attend small-town schools in Fleming, Merino, and Peetz, each with its own board and its own calendar. For a county of Colorado’s northeastern plains, that mix of one mid-sized district and three tiny ones is what makes the school year so different from one family to the next.

School District Structure in Logan County

Colorado schools are not run by county governments. Logan County has no countywide school system, and the county commissioners have no role in adopting a school calendar. Each district has its own locally elected board of education that hires a superintendent, approves budgets, and adopts the yearly calendar. Four districts serve Logan County:

• Valley School District RE-1 is the largest, with about 2,000 students. Its administration is at 301 Hagen Street in Sterling, the county seat. The district covers Sterling and the Iliff area and operates several elementary schools, Sterling Middle School, Sterling High School, and Caliche Junior-Senior High School.
• Frenchman School District RE-3 is based in Fleming and operates Fleming Elementary School and Fleming High School for a few hundred students at most.
• Buffalo School District RE-4J is centered on Merino and spans both Logan and Washington counties. It enrolls about 300 students.
• Plateau School District RE-5 serves the Peetz area on the northern edge of the county, with Peetz Elementary School and a junior-senior high school.

Buffalo RE-4J and Plateau RE-5 belong to Northeast BOCES, a cooperative that supports small rural districts with special education and shared services. Each board holds regular open meetings, usually monthly, and agendas are posted at the district office or online. Because the four boards are independent, Sterling’s schedule does not bind Fleming, Merino, or Peetz. Logan County is largely agricultural, with Sterling as its only substantial town, so a bus ride in the smaller districts can cover a lot of farmland.

Academic Calendar Structure

Schools in the county generally open in mid-August and close in mid-to-late May. Boards typically adopt the calendar for the next school year in the spring, so families can usually plan summer travel well ahead. The exact first and last days change every year, so check the current calendar from your own district.

Most schools use a two-semester structure. The fall semester runs from August to mid-December, and the spring semester runs from early January to May. Some schools report progress by quarter within each semester, so look at your child’s handbook to learn when grades are issued.

Colorado requires 160 days of instruction or an equivalent number of hours, which is 1,080 for secondary students, 990 for elementary students, and 450 for half-day kindergarten. A district on a five-day week can meet that with standard school days. A district on a four-day week meets it with longer days. Several small districts on the Colorado plains use four-day weeks to cut transportation costs and give students and staff a day for appointments, so confirm the weekly pattern with each district before you rely on it.

Start and end times vary by district and building. Sterling has separate elementary, middle, and high school bell schedules, while the smaller towns often house multiple grade levels on one campus with a single schedule. Current times appear in student handbooks and on district websites.

School Holidays and Breaks

Logan County districts typically observe the following, with dates that differ by district and year:

• Labor Day: the first Monday of September.
• Fall Break: some districts build in a short October break or a long weekend, often next to teacher planning days.
• Thanksgiving Break: usually the full week of Thanksgiving or the last three days of that week.
• Winter Break: generally about two weeks, spanning late December and early January.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: the third Monday of January.
• Presidents’ Day: a February holiday in most districts.
• Spring Break: often one week in March, though some districts coordinate with neighboring schools and others do not.
• Memorial Day: the last Monday of May, which may fall after the last day of classes.

Dates shift annually, and the board-adopted calendar is the only authoritative source. Note that a calendar posted by one district can be quite different from a neighbor’s, even when the two schools are only twenty miles apart.

How to Find the Official Logan County School Calendar

Start with the district your child attends. The Colorado Department of Education’s SchoolView profile for each district links to its official website, and the district office can point you to the current calendar. Boards usually approve the next year’s calendar in the spring, and most districts post it under “District,” “Parents,” “Community,” or “Calendar,” often as a downloadable PDF.

Individual schools frequently maintain separate calendars for concerts, parent conferences, picture days, and athletic events. In a county where harvest, weather, and long travel distances can shift events, check both the district calendar and your school’s own.

Families who are weighing a move or comparing regions will quickly see that Colorado’s rural counties each handle calendars in their own way. A parent who reads the Logan County schools calendar for the northeastern plains alongside the Lincoln County schools calendar farther south will notice that both counties are split among several independent districts of very different sizes. Neither has a single countywide schedule, so in both places the calendar that applies is the one your child’s own district has adopted.

Early Release Days, Teacher Workdays, and Professional Development

Teachers in Logan County districts report several days before students return in August for planning and training. During the year, districts also schedule professional development days when students stay home. Valley RE-1 is large enough to run district-wide training, while the smaller districts often lean on Northeast BOCES for shared sessions. Many of these days are placed beside weekends or holidays to limit disruption for working families.

Colorado does not set a fixed number of statewide teacher training days, but districts must meet their instructional requirements and provide professional development within the contract year. Four-day districts sometimes use their off-day for training or conferences.

Early release days appear on the calendar and are announced through email, text messages, websites, and social media. Because buses in the small districts cover long rural routes, ask the school how an early release changes pickup times.

Emergency Closures and Weather Days

Logan County sits along the South Platte River and Interstate 76, and its winter weather comes with high winds, drifting snow, and occasional ground blizzards. The Colorado Department of Transportation can close I-76 and US highways during storms, and county roads can become impassable even when the interstate is open. Conditions in Sterling can differ from those in Peetz or Merino, which is why one district may close while another stays open.

Each superintendent decides on closures, delays, and early dismissals, usually in the early morning after checking road reports and consulting transportation staff and neighboring districts. Districts announce decisions through automated calls, texts, and emails, as well as websites and social media pages. The Sterling Journal-Advocate, local radio, and Denver television stations such as KMGH Denver7, KUSA 9NEWS, KDVR, and KCNC may also carry closure lists, though small districts do not always appear. Keep your contact information current with the school office, and check the CDOT COtrip website for road conditions.

Missed days are made up by using buffer days built into the calendar, adding days at the end of the year, lengthening school days, or in some cases requesting a state waiver. Four-day districts can often convert an off-day into a makeup day.

Graduation and End-of-Year Schedule

Final exams for middle and high school students typically fall in the last week or two of each semester, in December and again in May. Elementary students usually take end-of-year assessments instead of formal exams.

Graduation ceremonies take place in May, often on a weekend. Sterling High School holds a larger ceremony, while Fleming, Merino, and Peetz hold small, close-knit events in their own gyms or auditoriums that bring in much of the town. Elementary and middle schools may hold promotion ceremonies or award assemblies during the final week.

Report cards go home at the end of each grading period, and many districts provide an online portal where parents can check grades. The school office can supply login instructions.

Back-to-School and Registration Information

Enrollment and re-enrollment typically open in spring or early summer, though new families can register at any point in the year. Valley RE-1 handles enrollment through its Sterling offices and school buildings, and the smaller districts register students through their own school offices.

Be ready to provide:

• Proof of residency, such as a lease, mortgage statement, or utility bill
• A birth certificate or other proof of age
• Immunization records or an approved exemption form
• Records from your child’s previous school, if transferring

Colorado permits open enrollment, so a family may ask to attend a district other than the one in which they live if space is available. Transportation is generally the family’s responsibility, which can matter in a county where distances are long. Supply lists are usually posted on district or school websites or social media in late July or early August, and many schools hold open houses or meet-the-teacher events shortly before classes begin.

Special Programs and Their Calendar Implications

Logan County has no magnet schools, but other programs may follow different calendars. Northeastern Junior College in Sterling offers college courses, and high school students can take them through Colorado’s concurrent enrollment system. The college calendar does not always match the high school’s, so compare start dates, breaks, and exam weeks carefully.

Preschool is available in several districts, and Colorado’s Universal Preschool program funds hours for four-year-olds. Preschool calendars can differ from the K-12 schedule in start dates and attendance days. Online and alternative options may follow different pacing or testing windows, so ask your district whether virtual students must follow the standard attendance calendar. Northeast BOCES also supports special education across member districts, and those services may follow their own schedules.

Athletics and Extracurricular Calendar Context

High school athletics and activities in Logan County fall under the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), which sets season dates, classifications, and eligibility rules. These schedules are separate from the academic calendar but closely linked to it. Fall practices begin in August, around the first week of school. Winter sports continue through the holiday break, and spring sports such as track and golf often overlap with finals. Smaller schools in the county frequently rely on smaller-roster formats or cooperative arrangements, and long travel distances can mean early dismissals on game days.

State-Level Calendar Requirements and How Colorado Law Governs Logan County

The Colorado Department of Education and the State Board of Education set the broad framework, but Colorado follows a local-control model. The state requires 160 days of instruction or an equivalent number of hours, and each board decides how to meet it. That explains why Valley RE-1, Frenchman RE-3, Buffalo RE-4J, and Plateau RE-5 can differ on start dates, break weeks, and days per week.

Districts must still administer state assessments in the required windows, report their schedules to the state, and follow attendance and safety laws. Questions about hours, waivers, or four-day-week approval can be directed to the Colorado Department of Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Logan County, Colorado?
Most districts begin in mid-August, often with a teacher workday just before students arrive. Each board sets its own date, so check your district’s calendar.

When does school get out for summer in Logan County?
Most districts finish in mid-to-late May. Exact dates vary by district and are set in the calendar adopted that spring.

How many days are in a school year in Logan County?
Colorado requires at least 160 days or an equivalent number of instructional hours. Four-day districts meet the requirement with longer days, and five-day districts may schedule more days than the minimum.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today in Logan County?
Check your district’s alert system, website, and social media first. Local news, radio, and Denver television stations may also carry closures. Each district decides independently, so confirm with your own.

What is the spring break schedule for Logan County schools?
Spring break is usually one week in March, but the exact week varies by district. There is no countywide spring break.

How do I enroll my child in Logan County schools?
Contact the district where you live. Bring proof of residency, a birth certificate, and immunization records. Valley RE-1 families can start at the district office in Sterling, and the smaller districts register students through their school offices.

Are there any year-round schools in Logan County?
No Logan County district is known to operate a year-round calendar. Schools follow an August-to-May schedule, though some districts may use a four-day week.

Who do I contact about school calendar questions in Logan County?
Call the district office for your child’s school. For Sterling and Iliff, that is the Valley RE-1 office in Sterling. For Fleming, Merino, and Peetz, contact the Frenchman RE-3, Buffalo RE-4J, or Plateau RE-5 district offices directly. Board meeting agendas are another place to follow calendar decisions.