Lake County Gazette

After receiving input from the largest group of Calendar Committee members in memory, the WPS Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2025-26 school year.

Classes will begin on August 13, with a two-week Winter Break from December 22 to January 6. The school year will end on Wednesday, May 27. Spring break is scheduled for the week of March 23.

Before the vote, Board President Christine Martinez thanked everyone who served on the committee, which included teachers, parents, administrators, and education support professionals. In consultation with educators across the district, WPS has scheduled all early dismissal days for Monday. Early dismissal allows time for staff to work on professional development and other efforts to improve teaching.

One notable change is that in previous years new teachers arrived in the district five days before the start of the school year to prepare for their careers and understand the district’s Competency Based System. Next year, new teachers will arrive four days before the start of the year and will have an additional new teacher learning day on January 5.

“We talked with our new teachers and they told us those first couple of days can be overwhelming and they would like time to process what they are learning with their classroom experiences,” said Superintendent Dr. Jeni Gotto. “I am proud to say we listened and we made the changes.”