Elizabeth starts Thursday, Sept 10, after Labor Day weekend and the first teacher days. Students are off Sept 21 (Yom Kippur), Oct 12, Nov 5-6 (NJEA Convention), Nov 11 and Mar 10 (Eid al-Fitr), and Juneteenth (Jun 18) is also a holiday. Schools close early at 12:15 pm on Sept 28, Oct 22, Nov 3, Nov 25, Dec 7, Jan 12, Feb 8, Mar 2, Jun 1 and the last day, Jun 22. Snow days will be added after June 22, so check before booking early summer plans.

Wednesday, November 25 is a 12:15 pm early dismissal. Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 are off, and students are back on Monday, November 30. Earlier in November, schools are also closed Thursday and Friday, November 5-6, for the NJEA Convention, and Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day, so it’s a choppy month. For a free day out, the walking and waterfront areas around Elizabeth are an easy choice, and the Jersey Gardens mall is right in town if you need a rainy-day backup.

Winter break runs from Thursday, December 24 through Friday, January 1, and students return Monday, January 4. Wednesday, December 23 is a regular-time dismissal before the break, and Monday, December 7 is an early dismissal for professional development. It’s a short break compared to some districts, so plan travel carefully. If you’re staying local, Warinanco Park, on the Elizabeth and Roselle line, has an ice skating rink that usually opens in the colder months, and New York City is about 30 minutes by NJ Transit train from Elizabeth.

Spring recess is Monday, March 22 through Friday, March 26, 2027, and students return Monday, March 29. Friday, March 19 is a regular-time dismissal before the break, so the week really starts early. With the weekends, that’s nine days in a row, from Friday afternoon March 19 through Sunday, March 28. One thing to watch: if the district needs snow make-up days beyond June 30, it says it will take them out of Easter Recess, so avoid non-refundable bookings. In mid-April, the cherry blossoms at Branch Brook Park in nearby Newark are a free outing.

Elizabeth has no fall break, but there are a few single days off that break up the season. Yom Kippur is Monday, September 21, Columbus Day is Monday, October 12, and the NJEA Convention is November 5-6. Election Day, November 3, is a 12:15 pm early dismissal. Fall is a nice time for the trails at Watchung Reservation in Union County.

The last day of school is Tuesday, June 22, 2027, with a 12:15 pm dismissal for students. Any snow make-up days are added after that date, up to June 30, so hold off on non-refundable early summer plans until you know whether the district used them. Juneteenth (Friday, June 18) and Memorial Day (Monday, May 31) are both school holidays. Once school is out, Island Beach State Park and the Jersey Shore are about an hour or so south.