STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City public schools are closed on Monday to observe a holiday.
Schools are closed to observe Diwali, the annual festival of lights and one of the major events celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. It is observed in October or November as designated by the Indian calendar.
Diwali was officially declared a public school holiday in 2023.
This year, it starts on Oct. 20 — with celebrations held over the course of five days. Students will return to class on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
There is still plenty of time off for public school students before the end of 2025. After Diwali, public school students will not go to class on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Public schools will also be closed on Nov. 11 for Veterans Day, and on Nov. 27-28 for Thanksgiving recess.
The public school academic calendar includes some two dozen days off between the first day and the last day of classes.
The calendar gives time off every year for religious holidays like Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr, and week-long breaks for winter recess, mid-winter recess and spring recess, which include Christmas and Passover. Diwali has also been added recently as a public school holiday.
The school calendar also allows time off each year for Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Columbus Day), Election Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Juneteenth. Dates for parent-teacher conference days for elementary, middle schools and high schools are also posted in the calendar.
You can go here to view more important dates for the 2025-2026 public school academic year.
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