Moffat County Colorado Schools Calendar

Moffat County School District RE-1 serves the families of Craig, Maybell, and the surrounding ranch and energy country in the northwest corner of Colorado. It enrolls roughly 2,000 students and runs one of the more unusual calendars in the region. The school board voted unanimously to adopt a four-day school week with Fridays off for all grades, so Moffat County families plan their year differently from parents in most of the state. craigdailypress

School District Structure in Moffat County

Colorado calls its local governments counties, and Moffat County is served by a single public school district, Moffat County School District RE-1. The “RE-1” tells you that it is the first re-organized district in the county, and it covers the whole county rather than a single town. Unlike Texas, where one county can hold dozens of independent districts, Moffat County has just this one, so the calendar adopted by the district applies to nearly every public school family in the county.

The district is governed by the Moffat County School District RE-1 Board of Education, a group of locally elected members who set policy, approve the budget, and adopt the yearly calendar. The Superintendent’s office, based in Craig, carries out the board’s decisions and manages day-to-day operations. The board holds regular public meetings, usually monthly, and agendas are posted ahead of time on the district website. Moffat County is rural and spread across a very large area, which shapes everything from bus routes to how many days a family can reasonably be asked to drive into town.

The district’s schools are in Craig, with a small school in Maybell. Craig’s schools include Ridgeview Elementary, Craig Middle School, Sunset Elementary, Sandrock Elementary, and Moffat County High School. Together with the outlying elementary, the district is built around one central community, which is why a single calendar works for everyone. craigdailypress

Academic Calendar Structure

Moffat County typically starts classes in mid-to-late August and ends in late May. For reference, the 2022-2023 calendar began on August 22 and ended on May 25, and later years have followed a similar window. Exact first and last days change from year to year, and I haven’t listed specific dates for the current year because the district’s published calendar is the only reliable source. The calendar for the following school year is usually adopted by the board in the spring, so families can often plan summer travel well ahead. craigdailypress

The calendar is split into two semesters. The fall semester runs from the August start through the winter break in late December, and the spring semester begins in January and runs through the last day in May. Grading periods inside those semesters and the way report cards are issued can vary by building, so check the handbook at your child’s school.

Because the district runs on a four-day week, instructional time is packed into Monday through Thursday. Sandrock Elementary describes its schedule as Monday through Thursday. To make up for the missing day, school days are longer than in a five-day district. Start and end times differ by building and level, so elementary, middle, and high school bell schedules are best confirmed on each school’s page or at the front office. state

School Holidays and Breaks

A typical Moffat County year includes most of the following:

• Labor Day, which in a four-day district often falls on a day that is already a non-school Monday-adjacent weekend, so check whether a separate day off appears
• Fall break, which some Colorado districts schedule around the end of the first quarter
• Thanksgiving break, normally the week of the holiday
• Winter break, usually running from just before Christmas to the first week of January
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day, which fall on Mondays and may be observed
• Spring break, typically a full week in March or early April
• Memorial Day, which falls after the school year ends in most years

With Fridays already off, Moffat County families gain a long weekend every week, and many use it for medical appointments, travel to Grand Junction or Steamboat Springs, or hunting season in the fall. Exact break dates shift every year, so rely on the board-adopted calendar rather than last year’s dates.

How to Find the Official Moffat County School Calendar

The authoritative source is the Moffat County School District RE-1 website. Look under sections labeled “District,” “Parents,” or “Community” for a calendar link, which is usually a downloadable PDF alongside an online calendar. The calendar is adopted at a Board of Education meeting in the spring for the following year, and the meeting minutes will confirm the vote.

If you are comparing rural Colorado districts, or you have family in more than one part of the state, the Mineral County schools calendar shows how a very small southwestern district builds its year, while the Moffat County schools calendar reflects the four-day schedule that suits a large northwestern county with long bus routes. Reading the two side by side makes the differences in start dates, breaks, and school-day length easy to see.

Individual schools also post supplemental calendars for concerts, assemblies, parent conferences, and sports, so check your child’s school page as well as the main district page.

Early Release Days, Teacher Workdays, and Professional Development

Teachers in Moffat County return before students for workdays and training, usually the week before the first day of class. During the year, the district may schedule professional development or planning days on which students stay home. Because Fridays are already off for students, the district has some room to place staff training outside instructional days, but you should not assume this. The adopted calendar marks every non-student day.

Early release and half-day schedules, when they occur, are communicated through school newsletters, the district’s notification system, and social media. Colorado does not set a single statewide list of teacher training days, so the specific days are decided locally and set by the board.

Emergency Closures and Weather Days

Winter in Craig can be severe. Snow and ice on U.S. Highway 40 and Colorado Highway 13 can make bus routes dangerous, particularly for students who live out toward Maybell or on county roads. The Superintendent, in consultation with transportation staff, makes the call on delays and closures, usually early in the morning after road conditions are checked.

Families typically hear about closures through the district’s automated phone and text notification system, its website and social media pages, and local media. The Craig Press and local radio, including KRAI in Craig, are common places for announcements. Make sure your contact information is current with your child’s school so alerts reach you.

For makeup days, a four-day district has flexibility that others lack, because a Friday could in principle serve as a makeup day, and the board can also add days at the end of the year. Ask the district about its current policy, since how it handles missed days can change when the board adopts a new calendar. Colorado also allows districts to count instructional hours rather than days, which gives local boards some latitude.

Graduation and End-of-Year Schedule

Final exams at Moffat County High School come in the last days of the spring semester, with the school year ending in late May. Graduation is a major community event in Craig, held in May. Elementary and middle school promotion ceremonies are organized by each school and usually take place in the final week.

Report cards are distributed at the close of each term, and families can typically view grades through the district’s online student information portal. Contact the school office to get portal login credentials.

Back-to-School and Registration Information

Enrollment and re-enrollment generally open in the spring and continue through the summer. New families should contact the district office in Craig or the school their child will attend. Documents usually required include:

• Proof of residency in the district
• A certified birth certificate or other proof of age
• Immunization records or an approved exemption form
• Prior school records, for students transferring in

Supply lists are generally posted on school pages in the summer, and many schools hold a meet-the-teacher or open house event just before classes begin.

Special Programs and Their Calendar Implications

Moffat County is a small district, so program options are fewer than in a large urban system, but a few are worth knowing about. Colorado Northwestern Community College has a campus in Craig, and high school students may be able to take concurrent enrollment courses, which follow the college’s calendar rather than the high school’s. Those dates can differ at the start and end of each semester.

Preschool and early childhood programs may follow a different schedule from K-12, and kindergarten in the area has often been half-day. Sandrock Elementary lists half-day kindergarten through grade five, so confirm your child’s schedule. Ask the district about online learning and alternative education options, since the calendar for those programs can differ from the traditional school day.

Athletics and Extracurricular Calendar Context

High school athletics in Colorado are governed by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). Season dates, practice start dates, and playoffs are set by CHSAA and are separate from the district academic calendar, though they are closely connected. Moffat County teams travel long distances for games, and a four-day week means competitions sometimes land on Fridays when there is no school. Fall sports begin before or just as classes start, and winter and spring sports run through exam periods.

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

Colorado is a local-control state, which means school boards have wide authority over their own calendars. The Colorado Department of Education sets minimum requirements for instructional time, which are expressed in both days and hours. The baseline is 160 days, but districts may meet the requirement through hours instead, which is how four-day weeks work. The state also sets hour minimums by grade level, including 450 hours for half-day kindergarten.

Moffat County meets these requirements by lengthening its Monday-through-Thursday school days. The district is also bound by state rules on school start and end times in certain circumstances, as well as by federal and state holidays. Questions about compliance can go to the Colorado Department of Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Moffat County, Colorado?
Classes usually begin in mid-to-late August. The exact date is set by the school board each year and is posted on the district website.

When does school get out for summer in Moffat County?
The year typically ends in late May. Check the adopted calendar for the exact last day.

How many days are in a school year in Moffat County?
Because the district uses a four-day week, there are fewer days than in a five-day district, but each day is longer so the district meets the state’s instructional-hour requirement.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today in Moffat County?
Watch for the district’s phone and text alerts, check the district website and social media, and listen to local radio or check the Craig Press.

What is the spring break schedule for Moffat County schools?
Spring break is usually a full week in March or early April. The official dates are in the adopted calendar.

How do I enroll my child in Moffat County schools?
Contact the district office in Craig or your child’s school with proof of residency, a birth certificate, and immunization records.

Are there any year-round schools in Moffat County?
Moffat County schools follow a traditional school year with a summer break, with the four-day week as its distinctive feature. Confirm any program-specific calendars with the district.

Who do I contact about school calendar questions in Moffat County?
Start with the Moffat County School District RE-1 central office in Craig, or your child’s school office.