Ventura CountyCalifornia Schools Calendar

Roughly 120,000 students attend public schools in Ventura County, spread across 20 school districts that stretch from the Oxnard Plain and the Pacific coast to the Conejo Valley and the Ojai Valley. There is no countywide calendar. Each district’s governing board adopts its own, so start dates, break weeks, and early release days can differ between neighbors such as Oxnard, Ventura, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, and Santa Paula.

School District Structure in Ventura County

California organizes public education through locally governed districts, and Ventura County has a mix of unified, elementary, and high school districts. Conejo Valley Unified (Thousand Oaks), Simi Valley Unified, Ventura Unified, Oxnard Union High School District, Moorpark Unified, Santa Paula Unified, Fillmore Unified, Ojai Unified, Hueneme Elementary, and Pleasant Valley are among the better-known names. The Oxnard area is a clear example of the split model. Oxnard School District, Hueneme School District, Rio School District, Ocean View School District, and several other elementary districts serve kindergarten through eighth grade, and Oxnard Union High School District serves most of their students in grades nine through twelve. Camarillo is served by Pleasant Valley School District for elementary grades and Oxnard Union for high school. Small districts such as Briggs, Mesa Union, Mupu, Santa Clara, Somis Union, Ocean View, and Santa Paula’s neighbors serve rural communities with a handful of campuses each. Because the list changes with consolidations, confirm the current roster with the county office.

Each district has an elected governing board, titled Board of Trustees or Board of Education depending on the district. Boards typically meet once or twice a month and post agendas publicly ahead of time. The Ventura County Office of Education, headquartered in Camarillo, is led by an elected County Superintendent of Schools. It does not set district calendars. It reviews district budgets, operates county programs such as special education and alternative education, and supports smaller districts.

The county blends urban, suburban, and rural settings. Oxnard and Ventura are the largest cities, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are suburban communities, and farm towns like Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Somis sit amid citrus groves and strawberry fields.

If you are comparing regions of California, the Ventura County schools calendar resources from the county office of education link to each local district, while the Tuolumne County schools calendar guide shows how a rural Sierra foothill county organizes its own, much smaller group of districts.

Academic Calendar Structure

Most Ventura County districts begin the school year in mid-August and finish in late May or early June, though some start earlier or later. Boards generally adopt the following year’s calendar in the spring, often after discussions with the local teachers’ association. Because the 2026-27 school year is already underway, each district has posted its current calendar, and you can confirm exact dates on your district’s website.

Most districts use two semesters, with the fall term ending in December or the first weeks of January and the spring term running to the end of the year. Elementary schools often issue report cards by trimester, while middle and high schools use semester grades with progress reports in between.

California requires a minimum of 175 instructional days, though most districts schedule close to 180. State law also sets minimum instructional minutes: 36,000 for kindergarten, 50,400 for grades one through three, 54,000 for grades four through eight, and 64,800 for grades nine through twelve. Districts that fall short can lose state funding, so calendars are built around these totals. Many meet them with slightly longer school days rather than extra calendar days.

Bell schedules vary by campus. Elementary schools often start between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. and dismiss in the early to mid afternoon. California’s start-time law bars most middle schools from beginning before 8:00 a.m. and most high schools before 8:30 a.m., with an exemption for rural districts, so some smaller campuses may follow different schedules. Confirm times with your school office.

School Holidays and Breaks

Ventura County districts generally observe the following, though dates and the number of days off vary:

• Labor Day, the first Monday of September
• Veterans Day, November 11 or the nearest weekday
• Thanksgiving Break, usually Wednesday through Friday, and sometimes the full week
• Winter Break, typically about two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third Monday of January
• Presidents’ Day, with some districts closing for the full week
• Spring Break, usually one week in late March or April, often near Easter
• Memorial Day, the last Monday of May

Cesar Chavez Day, near the end of March, is observed by some districts and carries particular meaning in a county with a large agricultural workforce. A fall break like those common in Tennessee is not standard here, though an individual district may add a short pause. Exact dates change every year, so check your district’s adopted calendar rather than assuming a neighboring district has the same days off.

How to Find the Official Ventura County School Calendar

Start with your district’s website. Conejo Valley Unified, Simi Valley Unified, Ventura Unified, Oxnard Union High School District, Oxnard School District, and the other districts each post their adopted calendars as PDFs, usually under sections labeled “District,” “Parents,” or “Community.” If you are unsure which district serves your address, the Ventura County Office of Education can point you to the right one.

Boards typically adopt next year’s calendar at a spring meeting. Agendas and minutes are public, so you can read a proposed calendar before it is final. Because elementary and high school districts are separate in parts of the county, families with children in both levels may need to compare two calendars. Individual schools also publish supplemental calendars covering back-to-school nights, parent conferences, testing windows, assemblies, and athletics.

Early Release Days, Teacher Workdays, and Professional Development

Teachers generally return a few days before students in August to prepare classrooms and attend training. During the year, districts schedule professional development days when students stay home, plus early release or minimum days. In elementary schools these often follow a weekly or monthly pattern, and minimum days are common before Thanksgiving and winter breaks and during parent conference weeks.

Districts notify families through websites, automated calls, text messages, and parent apps. Check the calendar at the start of each semester, since early release days affect childcare and work schedules, especially for families commuting along Highway 101 or the 118 freeway between Ventura County and Los Angeles. California requires staff development days through the Education Code and local bargaining agreements, and districts often use them for new curriculum, safety training, and state-mandated instruction.

Emergency Closures and Weather Days

Snow days do not exist in Ventura County. The disruptions here are wildfire, smoke, and heat. The county has faced major fires, including the 2017 Thomas Fire and the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which closed schools for days and displaced families. Santa Ana wind events can bring power outages and red-flag fire conditions, and heavy winter storms can cause flooding and mudslides, particularly in burn-scar areas. Coastal fog and marine layer rarely close schools, but poor air quality from smoke often leads to indoor-only activity.

Each district’s superintendent makes closure decisions, weighing air quality readings, evacuation orders, road closures, power conditions, and guidance from the Ventura County Fire Department and local officials. In a wildfire, districts may close individual campuses or entire districts.

California districts must still meet the minimum days and minutes, so a closure may require a makeup day, or a district may rely on built-in margin. Districts can request a state waiver in qualifying emergencies, and large fire closures have led to such waivers in the past.

Families are notified through automated calls, texts, and emails, as well as district websites and social media. Local news sources include the Ventura County Star, along with Los Angeles stations such as KTLA, KABC, and KNBC, and Santa Barbara-area stations such as KEYT, which cover the county during major events. Keep your contact information current with your child’s school so alerts reach you.

Graduation and End-of-Year Schedule

High school final exams usually fall in the last week or two of the spring semester, often on shortened days. Graduation ceremonies for schools such as Oxnard High, Channel Islands High, Camarillo High, Thousand Oaks High, Simi Valley High, and Ventura High typically take place in late May or early June, many at school stadiums and others at larger regional venues. Ventura College, Oxnard College, and Moorpark College are the main community colleges serving graduating seniors.

Elementary and middle schools usually hold promotion ceremonies in the final week. Report cards go home in the last days of school or are posted to the district’s student information portal. Most districts offer an online parent portal for grades and attendance, and the school office can help with login problems.

Back-to-School and Registration Information

Enrollment and re-enrollment generally open in the spring for the following year, and new-student registration continues through summer and the school year. Transitional kindergarten is now open to all four-year-olds in California, so families with younger children should ask their district about age cutoffs and available sites.

To register, families generally need:

• Proof of residency, such as a utility bill or lease
• The child’s birth certificate or other proof of age
• Immunization records, as required for school entry under California law
• Prior school records or transcripts, when transferring

Registration is handled through district online portals or enrollment offices, with school staff assisting. Many districts in the Oxnard Plain and Santa Clara Valley serve large Spanish-speaking communities and offer registration help in Spanish, so ask your district office about language support. Supply lists are usually posted in July or early August, and many campuses hold orientation days, back-to-school nights, or meet-the-teacher events around the first week of school.

Special Programs and Their Calendar Implications

Some programs run on their own timelines. Dual enrollment and early college classes through Ventura College, Oxnard College, and Moorpark College follow the college calendar, which can differ from the district’s. Several districts operate magnet or specialty programs, including arts, STEM, and career technical pathways, and these may have separate application windows. Alternative and continuation programs, including those run by the Ventura County Office of Education, may use different start dates, shorter days, or independent study schedules. State and district preschool programs and transitional kindergarten may follow separate calendars from the K-12 schedule. Several districts offer virtual or independent study options with flexible scheduling.

Year-round calendars are uncommon, though a few districts have used modified calendars on specific campuses in the past, so ask your district whether any school near you does.

Athletics and Extracurricular Calendar Context

High school athletics in Ventura County are governed by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and local schools compete in the CIF Southern Section. CIF and the section set season dates, eligibility rules, and playoff schedules, not school districts, though districts can add their own requirements. Fall football and volleyball seasons begin around the start of the school year, and practices and games may continue during winter break and overlap with finals week, so athletes should check with coaches and athletic directors.

State-Level Calendar Requirements and How California Law Governs Ventura County

The California Department of Education oversees statewide requirements, and the State Board of Education sets policy. The Education Code establishes the 175-day minimum and the instructional minute requirements described above. Within those rules, districts keep local control over start dates, breaks, and bell times. That is why Conejo Valley Unified and a small rural district in the Santa Clara Valley can adopt different calendars, each subject to board approval and collective bargaining.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Ventura County, California?
Most districts begin in mid-August, though start dates vary. Check your district’s adopted calendar for the exact day.

When does school get out for summer in Ventura County?
Most districts finish in late May or early June, and high school graduations are usually held around then.

How many days are in a school year in Ventura County?
California requires at least 175 instructional days, and most districts schedule around 180. The exact count depends on the district.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today in Ventura County?
Check your district’s website, automated calls and texts, social media, or parent app, plus local news such as the Ventura County Star, KTLA, KABC, and KEYT. Closures are rare, but wildfire, smoke, and storms can lead to sudden announcements.

What is the spring break schedule for Ventura County schools?
Spring break is usually one week in late March or April, but each district sets its own dates. Check your district’s calendar.

How do I enroll my child in Ventura County schools?
Contact the district where you live or use its online enrollment portal. You will generally need proof of residency, proof of age, and immunization records.

Are there any year-round schools in Ventura County?
Year-round calendars are uncommon here. Ask your district directly, since individual campuses may differ.

Who do I contact about school calendar questions in Ventura County?
Start with your school’s front office or your district office. For countywide questions or help finding the right district, contact the Ventura County Office of Education in Camarillo.