MNPS starts early, with grades 1-12 beginning Tuesday, Aug 11. Pre-K and kindergarten are half days on Aug 11-12. The last day is Tuesday, May 25, a half day for everyone. Students get a full week of fall break (Oct 12-16), plus Oct 9, Nov 3, Jan 4 and Feb 15 off, because those are teacher days. Spring break is Mar 22-25, and Mar 26 is a separate holiday. Short days: Dec 15-18, Mar 19 and May 20-25 have half days for exams or the end of the year. Seven days (Feb 15, May 28, and Jun 1-4 and 7) are held as possible snow make-up days, so they’re listed as days off now but could turn into school days.

Students are out the whole week of Monday, November 23 through Friday, November 27, and they’re back Monday, November 30. District offices are closed Thursday and Friday. November is a choppy month, since kids also have Nov 3 (parent conference day) and Nov 11 (Veterans Day) off, so there are only 14 school days all month. If you’re staying in town, the Country Music Hall of Fame is a solid rainy-day pick, and the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is great on a cool day.

Winter break runs Monday, December 21 through Friday, January 1. Students go back Tuesday, January 5, because Monday, January 4 is a teacher day. With the weekends, that’s 17 days off in a row, from the half day on Friday, December 18 through Monday, January 4. It’s a nice long window for a road trip. If you’re staying, Gaylord Opryland usually does a big holiday show, and the Centennial Park area downtown is easy to walk with kids. Check dates before you go, since holiday events change every year.

Spring break is Monday, March 22 through Thursday, March 25, and Friday, March 26 is a separate holiday, so it’s a full week off. Friday, March 19 is a half day for all students, and kids go back Monday, March 29. With the weekends, that’s nine days at home. One thing to watch: the district keeps possible snow make-up days later in the year, but none of them is taken from spring break. For a day trip, Chattanooga is about two hours away, and the Smokies are about three and a half hours.

MNPS has a full fall break, Monday, October 12 through Friday, October 16. Friday, October 9 is a teacher day too, so kids are off 10 days in a row with the weekends, and the second quarter starts Monday, October 19. That’s one of the longer fall breaks in the country, and mid to late October is a good time for the Smokies, where leaves usually peak. Closer to Nashville, Radnor Lake State Park is a nice walk when the leaves turn.

The last day of school is Tuesday, May 25, 2027, and it’s a half day. Teachers have Wednesday, May 26. Memorial Day is Monday, May 31. Be careful with early summer plans, because May 28 and June 1-4 and 7 are held as possible snow make-up days. If you want to book anything non-refundable, hold off until you know the district didn’t use them. Summer is hot and humid in Nashville, so plan outdoor stuff for mornings. Percy Priest Lake and Nashville Shores are both good for water days.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 18, 2027, and the district is closed. It follows Monday, January 4 (a teacher day) and the start of the third quarter on January 5. For something meaningful to do with kids, the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library downtown tells the story of the 1960 sit-ins, and the National Museum of African American Music is also in town. Check hours before you go.