Anchorage Municipality Alaska Schools Calendar

About 40,000 students attend Anchorage School District schools, which makes it Alaska’s largest district by a wide margin and the only one in the state with a calendar that tens of thousands of families plan around. It covers the entire Municipality of Anchorage, from the downtown bowl to Eagle River, Chugiak, Girdwood, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The district’s calendar has been in the news for the past year, with changes to the start date, make-up days for icy-road closures, and three added instructional days.

School District Structure in Anchorage Municipality

Alaska has no counties, and Anchorage is not a borough in name. It is a unified home-rule municipality, which combined the old city and borough governments into one. Public education is run by a single district, the Anchorage School District (ASD), governed by the Anchorage School Board. The board hires the superintendent, and the current superintendent is Jharrett Bryantt. The district’s administration center is at 5530 E. Northern Lights Blvd. in Anchorage. The board generally holds regular meetings on Monday evenings, and agendas and schedules are posted on the district website before each meeting.

Two other Alaska districts, the Aleutian Region School District and the Chugach School District, list headquarters in Anchorage, but they serve students in remote communities elsewhere in the state. A child living in the municipality attends an ASD school, a charter school authorized by ASD, a private school, or a home or correspondence program.

The municipality is urban and suburban in the Anchorage bowl and Eagle River, and more rural and mountainous in Girdwood and parts of Chugiak. That shapes bus routes, snow-day decisions, and the length of a school commute.

Academic Calendar Structure

ASD runs on four quarters, with two quarters per semester, and marks the end of each with a grading day when students are released. The approved 2026-27 calendar set teachers’ first day for Friday, August 14, 2026. Students in grades 1 through 6 and grade 9 begin on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, and students in grades 7-8 and 10-12 begin on Thursday, August 20. The first quarter ends on Friday, October 16, 2026, which is a release day for students. The last day of school for students is Friday, May 28, 2027. If you are reading this in early October, you are already well into the first quarter. asdk12asdk12

That calendar was not settled without a fight. After the board approved the first version of the 2026-27 calendar, the district’s January contract agreement with the Anchorage Education Association added three days to the school year, and the board voted in April to put them at the start of the year, moving the first day up by about six days. After the community reacted, the board approved an updated calendar that keeps the August 19 start and places the three additional instructional days in the last quarter of the year. Families should be careful to use the revised calendar, because older versions are still online.

Kindergarten and preschool students typically phase in on a slightly different schedule, so check your child’s school for the exact first day.

School-day hours vary by school and level and are set by the district. Elementary, middle, and high schools in Anchorage run staggered bell times because of busing, and the schedule can differ between neighboring schools. The easiest way to confirm is the school’s own page.

School Holidays and Breaks

ASD’s calendar generally includes:

• Labor Day: First Monday of September.
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day: In October, observed as a district holiday.
• Veterans Day: November 11. The district polled families on how to handle Veterans Day, and a majority supported giving both students and staff the day off.

• Thanksgiving break: Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week.
• Winter break: Roughly the last ten days of December, through New Year’s Day.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Third Monday of January.
• Presidents’ Day: Third Monday of February.
• Spring break: Usually a week in March, though the date shifts by year.
• Memorial Day: Last Monday of May.
• Election days: Some Election Days are no-school days because schools double as polling places.

Dates change every year, so use the calendar the school board adopted for the year you need.

Where to Find Your Calendar

If you search for the Aleutians West Census Area schools calendar, you will find that three small districts share the area and each keeps its own schedule. The Anchorage Municipality schools calendar is a different kind of search. One district covers the whole municipality, so there is one master calendar, though individual schools add their own events on top of it.

How to Find the Official Anchorage School Calendar

The authoritative source is the district’s website, asdk12.org, under its Academic Calendars page. The district posts downloadable calendars for each year there. Anchorage’s school board approves calendars well in advance. The board originally approved the next three years of school calendars in September 2025, so families can plan further ahead here than in most places. Because the board can amend a calendar, always check the version date on the PDF

Third-party calendar sites copy data from the district, and some still show start dates from superseded drafts. Treat the district page as final. Individual schools also post their own calendars for concerts, conferences, sports, and open houses.

Teacher Workdays, In-Service, and Early Release

Anchorage’s calendar includes teacher-only days at the start and throughout the year. The teachers’ first day comes about five days before students arrive. The calendar also includes student-release professional development days, when teachers train and students stay home. Grading days at the end of each quarter are also student-release days, which catch some families off guard. They are not full holidays, since teachers are working.

Early release days are listed on the district calendar, and individual schools notify families through ParentVUE, school emails, and the district’s messaging system. Alaska requires that districts set aside time for teacher training, and ASD’s collective bargaining agreement with the Anchorage Education Association shapes how many days there are.

Weather, Emergencies, and Makeup Days

Anchorage is not Fairbanks, but it has its share of weather problems. The most disruptive in recent years has been ice. This past winter, district officials closed school for four days because of icy roads and poor driving conditions in January and February. The district builds a small buffer into each calendar, but that buffer ran out. The district added two more days to the 2025-26 calendar to meet the state requirement. Friday, April 17 became a full school day, and the last day for students moved to Thursday, May 21.

Closure decisions are made by the superintendent, usually early in the morning after road crews and transportation staff report conditions, since the municipality’s hillside neighborhoods and Eagle River can be treacherous when the bowl is fine. Earthquakes and windstorms have also closed schools. The 2018 earthquake delayed the start of school for some buildings that were damaged.

Closures are announced through the district’s automated phone, text, and email system, the district website, and its social media. Local TV stations, including KTUU (Channel 2) and KTVA (Channel 11), and Alaska Public Media carry closure lists. Parents should make sure their contact information is current in the student information system.

Graduation and End of Year

Final exams for high schools are usually held in the last week or two of May. Anchorage high schools, including East, West, Dimond, Service, Bartlett, South, Chugiak, and Eagle River, hold graduation in late May, with ceremonies typically at the Alaska Airlines Center or the Sullivan Arena, or on school grounds. Elementary promotion and middle school ceremonies are usually held at the school in the last week. Grades and report cards are available through the district’s family portal, and quarter grades post after each grading day.

Enrollment and Back to School

ASD registers students online and at neighborhood schools. Anchorage has a mix of neighborhood assignments, optional programs, and charter lotteries. Typical requirements:

• Proof of residency in the municipality
• A birth certificate or other proof of age
• Immunization records or an exemption
• Prior school records

Families on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson should ask about on-base school assignments, and military families often arrive mid-year. Enrollment for the next year usually opens in winter or spring, and some optional programs and charters have application deadlines earlier. Supply lists come out in summer from individual schools, and open houses and meet-the-teacher events happen in the week before or after classes begin.

Special Programs and Their Calendars

ASD operates a range of programs that can differ from the standard calendar. Optional and charter schools, such as the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School and Rilke Schule German Charter School, mostly follow district dates, but some set their own events. High school students can take career and technical courses and dual-credit courses, and some work through the University of Alaska Anchorage, whose calendar differs from the district’s. ASD also offers a virtual option, iHigh Virtual Academy, whose students work on a flexible schedule. Preschool and early childhood programs often have their own start dates. If your child is in one of these programs, ask the school which calendar applies.

Athletics and Activities

High school sports are governed by the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA). Anchorage teams play in the Cook Inlet Conference, and the fall season begins before classes in some sports because of Alaska’s short season. Practice and games frequently fall during the first weeks of school and around breaks, and winter tournaments sometimes require travel. Check your school’s athletic page for current schedules.

How Alaska Law Shapes the Calendar

The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development sets the minimum standards. Districts must provide at least 180 days of school with instructional hours that vary by grade level. Anchorage shows how tight this can get. The district’s previous calendar left only two days for closures before it would fall below the state requirement, and four weather closures forced it to add days. The board can decide the start date and breaks, but it has to keep enough days to meet the state threshold, and it has to negotiate those days with the teachers’ union. adn

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Anchorage, Alaska?
For 2026-27, students in grades 1-6 and 9 started on August 19, and students in grades 7-8 and 10-12 started on August 20. Check with your school for preschool and kindergarten. asdk12

When does school get out for summer?
The last day of school for students is Friday, May 28, 2027, unless the district adds days for closures. asdk12

How many days are in a school year?
Alaska requires at least 180 days. The ASD calendar now includes three additional instructional days under the teachers’ contract.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today?
Check the district’s text, email, and phone alerts, asdk12.org, and local TV stations such as KTUU and KTVA.

What is the spring break schedule?
Spring break is typically a week in March. Look at the approved calendar for the exact dates.

How do I enroll my child?
Register at your neighborhood school or through the district’s online enrollment. You will need proof of residency, a birth certificate, and immunization records.

Are there any year-round schools in Anchorage?
ASD follows a traditional calendar with a summer break. Check with the district if you want an alternative schedule.

Who do I contact about calendar questions?
Contact your child’s school first, then the district office at 5530 E. Northern Lights Blvd. You can also look at the Academic Calendars page on asdk12.org.