2026-27 Calendar Creation Process
Each year, DASD carefully develops the school calendar to balance student learning, staff needs, and community priorities. The process considers a variety of factors and requirements.
Per Board Policy 803 - District Calendar, the Superintendent or designee shall prepare annually a school calendar for Board consideration and approval. This fall, our process also included a stakeholder committee as part of our efforts to listen to a variety of viewpoints, along with the parameters outlined in PA School Code, district contractual requirements, and religious holidays in our community.
Survey Results
Proposed 26-27 Calendar
Current DASD Calendar Creation Process
PA Requirements
- 180 instructional days, and/or
- 900 instructional hours at the elementary level and 990 hours at the secondary level
First & Last Days of School
- Our goal is to begin the school year in the fourth week of August, usually the Monday preceding Labor Day.
- We strive to conclude during the first full week of June to support student learning and achievement, and to allow graduates to begin their post-secondary experiences.
Additional Considerations
- PIAA, athletics, band and other student events and organizations often have required, scheduled practices and meetings prior to the start of the school year. Many of these activities are set by outside organizations and are not determined by the district.
- Testing windows for the PSSAs, Keystones, AP and IB exams are established at the state or organizational level and are beyond DASD control.
- The dates on which holidays fall vary from year to year. In some years, holidays occur on weekends, increasing the number of available instructional days. Conversely, when most holidays fall on weekdays, the number of available instructional days is reduced, limiting the district’s flexibility in developing the calendar.
Holidays
- Holiday decisions are guided by feedback from the communities that observe them.
- The district is closed for the following holidays and plans to maintain these closures moving forward:
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Diwali
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- New Year’s Day
- MLK Day
- President's Day
- Good Friday (Easter)
- Memorial Day
- Eid al-Fitr
- Adding extra days off may require starting school up to a week earlier in August.