Weld County Colorado Schools Calendar

Northern Colorado’s largest agricultural county educates tens of thousands of students through more than a dozen separate public school districts, each with its own board, its own calendar, and sometimes its own idea of how many days a week school should meet. The 12,000-plus square miles of Weld County include the fast-growing Greeley-Evans area, Front Range suburbs along I-25, and small prairie towns where a few hundred students share one building. The calendar a family follows depends entirely on which district their child attends.

School District Structure in Weld County

Weld County, seated at Greeley, is a county in Colorado, and public education here is not run by the county government. Instead, independent districts, each governed by an elected Board of Education and led by a superintendent, serve different parts of the county. The main districts include:

• Greeley-Evans School District 6, the largest, serving Greeley and Evans
• Windsor School District RE-4, serving Windsor and Severance
• Johnstown-Milliken School District RE-5J
• Weld RE-8 School District (Fort Lupton)
• Eaton School District RE-2
• Weld County School District RE-1 (Gilcrest-LaSalle)
• Platte Valley School District RE-7 (Kersey)
• Weld RE-3J School District (Keenesburg and Hudson)
• Ault-Highland School District RE-9
• Briggsdale School District RE-10J
• Prairie School District RE-11 (New Raymer)
• Pawnee School District RE-12 (Grover)

Some southwestern communities, including Frederick, Firestone, and Dacono, are served by St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J, headquartered in Longmont. Other edges of the county touch neighboring districts, so a family’s address, not the mailing city, decides which board governs their school. The district names in Colorado use “RE” for reorganized, and “J” indicates a joint district that crosses a county line.

Boards generally meet monthly, with agendas posted on the district website beforehand. Meetings are open to the public, and the calendar is usually a board action item in winter or spring. The county runs from urban to deeply rural, so a Greeley family and a family near Grover can live in the same county and have very different school years.

Academic Calendar Structure

Colorado has no statewide first day of school. In Weld County, most districts start in mid-to-late August and finish in late May, though the smaller rural districts differ more. Districts typically adopt the next year’s calendar in winter or spring, and final versions are posted over the following months. Specific dates are not listed here because they change annually and vary across a dozen systems.

Most schools use a two-semester structure, with the fall semester ending around winter break or shortly after, and spring running through May. Elementary schools often issue report cards by quarter or trimester, while middle and high schools commonly use semesters with quarterly progress reports.

Instructional time. Colorado requires a minimum number of instructional hours rather than a flat number of days: 1,080 hours for secondary grades and 990 for elementary, with fewer for kindergarten. The traditional benchmark is an average of 160 days. Because the state counts hours, longer school days can replace some days, which is why several of the smaller Weld districts, particularly on the eastern side of the county, run four-day weeks. Larger districts such as Greeley-Evans and Windsor generally keep a five-day week. Confirm the schedule with your own district.

Daily schedules. Start times vary widely. Elementary schools commonly begin between about 7:30 and 8:45 a.m., while middle and high schools in larger districts often start somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Four-day districts usually stretch the day later into the afternoon. Long rural bus routes mean pickup can be much earlier than the first bell.

School Holidays and Breaks

Weld County districts generally observe the following, with dates set by each board:

• Labor Day in early September
• Fall break, common in October in some districts and often tied to parent-teacher conferences
• Thanksgiving break, usually several days around the holiday and sometimes the full week
• Winter break, typically about two weeks spanning Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January
• Presidents’ Day in February in most districts
• Spring break, usually in March or early April, often following the larger regional pattern but chosen by each board
• Memorial Day in late May

Colorado does not require any particular break. Exact dates move every year, so use the board-adopted calendar posted by your child’s district rather than last year’s version.

Families new to northern Colorado often compare how neighboring counties handle the same decisions, since districts on the plains and districts in the foothills plan around different pressures. The Washington County schools calendar covers a rural county to the east with five small districts, while the Weld County schools calendar covers a much larger, faster-growing county with a dozen or more, and reading the two side by side shows how breaks, four-day weeks, and weather planning change from one part of the Front Range and Eastern Plains to another.

How to Find the Official Weld County School Calendar

There is no single Weld County calendar, so start with the website of the district your child attends, whether that is Greeley-Evans D6, Windsor RE-4, Johnstown-Milliken RE-5J, Weld RE-8, or another. Calendars are typically posted as PDFs under headings such as “District,” “Parents,” “Families,” or “Community.” Many districts also publish them in their mobile apps.

The adopted calendar usually appears in the board’s spring or winter agenda packet and minutes, which show when the vote took place. If you cannot find it online, call the district office. Individual schools publish their own calendars for athletics, concerts, conferences, and family nights. Use the district calendar for attendance days and the school calendar for events.

Early Release Days, Teacher Workdays, and Professional Development

Teachers in Weld County return before students for in-service days devoted to training, curriculum work, and classroom setup. During the year, districts schedule professional development days when students stay home, and many use early-release afternoons or late starts for staff collaboration. This is especially common in larger districts like Greeley-Evans, which has a large staff and several dozen schools.

Four-day districts often use the non-student day for teacher training, which reduces lost instructional days. Colorado sets expectations for educator evaluation and licensure-related learning but does not set a uniform number of professional development days, so each board decides.

Families usually hear about early releases through the printed calendar, school newsletters, automated texts and calls, and social media. Parents of bus riders and of younger children should check whether transportation and after-school programs change on those days.

Emergency Closures and Weather Days

Winter storms and high winds are the usual cause of disruptions in Weld County. Blowing snow can close rural roads and sections of Highways 34, 85, and 392 even when accumulation is modest, and the eastern prairie is especially prone to drifting. Superintendents make closure, late-start, and early-dismissal decisions, usually early in the morning after checking road conditions with transportation staff and county road crews. Larger districts have to weigh town streets in Greeley against country roads miles away.

Colorado has no statewide makeup-day rule. Because the state counts instructional hours, each board decides how to recover lost time, through built-in buffer time, extended days, or in some four-day districts, using the off day. Ask your district what its policy is.

How closures are announced. Districts commonly use automated calls, texts, and email, along with their websites and social media. Denver television stations, including 9News, Denver7, KDVR, and CBS Colorado, report northern Colorado closures, and the Greeley Tribune and KUNC offer local coverage. Make sure your school has your current phone number and notification preferences on file.

Graduation and End-of-Year Schedule

Final exams take place in the last week or two of the spring semester, with high school finals usually concentrated into a few days. Graduation ceremonies generally happen in May, in school gymnasiums, football stadiums, or larger venues. Greeley-area ceremonies are major community events and often use larger spaces on the University of Northern Colorado campus or similar venues, while smaller towns hold graduations on campus. Elementary and middle schools may hold promotion ceremonies in the final week.

Report cards are issued at the end of each grading period, and districts use online portals for grades and attendance. Contact your school office if you did not receive login details.

Back-to-School and Registration Information

Re-enrollment for returning students typically opens in spring or early summer, and new student registration continues through summer and into the year. Larger districts like Greeley-Evans D6 and Windsor RE-4 offer online registration, while small rural districts may handle it through the district office or school secretary.

Expect to provide:

• Proof of residency, such as a lease or utility bill
• A birth certificate or other proof of age
• Immunization records or a Colorado-recognized exemption form
• Prior school records if transferring

Supply lists usually appear on school websites in summer. Open houses and meet-the-teacher events are typically held shortly before classes start and appear on the school’s calendar. Colorado’s open enrollment system lets some students attend a district other than the one where they live, so follow the calendar of the district your child actually attends.

Special Programs and Their Calendar Implications

Greeley-Evans D6 offers several choice and specialty options, including charter and innovation schools, and charter schools in Weld County may set their own calendars within their charter. Dual and concurrent enrollment courses through Aims Community College, based in Greeley, and the University of Northern Colorado follow college calendars, so students should compare breaks and finals schedules with their high school. Early college and career-focused programs may also differ.

Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program serves four-year-olds across the county, and preschool providers may run on different days or hours than K-12. Alternative and credit-recovery programs are arranged through the home district, and online options are available through the district or through Colorado’s statewide programs. Ask a school counselor which programs your district offers.

Athletics and Extracurricular Calendar Context

High school athletics in Colorado are governed by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), which sets seasons, classifications, and eligibility. Weld County schools compete at very different levels, from large 5A programs in Greeley to small-school and eight-man football in rural districts. Athletic schedules are separate from the academic calendar but linked to it, because games and practices often take place during breaks and eligibility depends on grades at set points. Four-day schools often schedule practices and games on their non-class day.

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

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) oversees state education policy, but local boards hold broad authority over their calendars under Colorado’s local-control tradition. The state sets minimum instructional hours, not start dates, end dates, or a required number of snow days or holidays.

That is why a dozen districts in one county can look so different. A board must meet the hour requirements but can choose a four- or five-day week, set its own breaks, and decide how to make up weather losses. Districts seeking to depart from the standard time requirements can ask CDE for approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does school start in Weld County, Colorado?
Most districts start in mid-to-late August, but each sets its own date. Check your district’s adopted calendar.

When does school get out for summer in Weld County?
Classes generally end in mid-to-late May, with graduation ceremonies in May. Exact dates vary by district.

How many days are in a school year in Weld County?
Colorado requires minimum instructional hours, about 1,080 for secondary and 990 for elementary, traditionally averaging 160 days. Districts on four-day weeks have fewer, longer days.

How do I find out if school is cancelled today in Weld County?
Check your district’s automated call, text, or email alerts, its website and social media, and Denver television stations. Call the district office if you are unsure.

What is the spring break schedule for Weld County schools?
Spring break usually falls in March or early April, but each district adopts its own.

How do I enroll my child in Weld County schools?
Contact the district or school your child will attend, and bring proof of residency, a birth certificate, and immunization records. Many larger districts offer online registration.

Are there any year-round schools in Weld County?
Most Weld County districts follow traditional calendars, and some smaller ones run four-day weeks. Confirm with your district whether any school uses a modified schedule.

Who do I contact about school calendar questions in Weld County?
Contact the district office for the district your child attends, such as Greeley-Evans D6, Windsor RE-4, or Johnstown-Milliken RE-5J.