New York City public schools are closed on Monday, giving students a three-day weekend.
Public schools are closed on Sept. 21 in observance of Yom Kippur, according to the school calendar.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in Judaism, and it is often referred to as the Day of Atonement. It’s a reflective holiday focused on repentance, forgiveness and spiritual renewal. It marks the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance, which began with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Yom Kippur began at sunset on Sunday and it ends at nightfall on Monday.
Students will return to school on Tuesday.
Public school students don’t need to wait long for their next day off — which will be just a few weeks later on Monday, Oct. 12, in observance of Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Columbus Day).
For those looking even further ahead, students and staff will have another four days off before winter recess begins on Dec. 24.
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 2026-2027 public school academic year.