BUGS follows the NYC Department of Education (DOE) schedule for all major school holidays, days off and all weather-related school closures. Updates are provided here.

Please note that the BUGS school year begins earlier than the DOE. The first day of school is usually the Monday before Labor Day.

The First Day of School for 2026-27 is Monday, August 31, 2026!*

Note this date is earlier than the NYC DOE start date.

The 2026-27 School Year Calendar is now available (subject to change). View the Google Calendar below for the latest information.

Never miss an event! Sync the BUGS Family Calendar to your phone/tablet, by simply clicking the +Google Calendar button above.

*A Commitment to a Longer School Year

To fully support our mission and ensure every student is prepared for high school and beyond, we prioritize maximizing valuable instructional time throughout the academic year. Our commitment to a slightly longer school year, which is a core part of our school charter, allows us to dedicate additional time to real-world problem-solving, exploration, and in-depth mastery of core academic subjects, reinforcing our core value of "Reach" for excellence.

Our New York State Education Department charter requires BUGS to be in session more than 180 days each school year. Multiple types of days count towards this requirement:

  • Student attendance days, when students attend classes and receive instruction. This includes remote asynchronous instruction days.

    • Remote Asynchronous Days when BUGS conducts Professional Development Days (BUGS KDE) for staff training and professional development. The BUGS school calendar has an average of 5-7 Professional Development Days each school year.

  • Family Conference Days & Student Led Conference Days, which are noted for NYSED as Chancellor’s Conference Days. BUGS has an average of three such days each school year.

  • NYS Tests & Regents Examination Days, when middle and high schools administer NYS exams.

    • Regents Exam Days are school days; however, to ensure we can properly administer exams, students in grades 6–8 will have modified schedules on these dates. We will notify families of any changes.

Meeting or exceeding this requirement ensures that our school receives essential State funding and remains in good standing with our authorizer, the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Holidays

When NYCPS observes a holiday, BUGS is closed and students do not attend.

BUGS observes three types of holidays when they fall on a weekday during the school year:

  • Federal holidays designated by the US Congress

  • New York State holidays set by our State legislature

  • NYCPS holidays established by New York City Council 

In addition, when federal holidays fall on a Sunday, we observe them the following Monday.

Recesses

Schools are closed each year for:

  • Winter recess in December and January

  • Midwinter recess in February

  • Spring recess in March or April

BUGS aligns recesses to the NYC DOE, which aligns them with federal, state, and city holidays.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

The BUGS Calendar includes Family-Teacher Conferences (FTC) in November and Student-Led Conferences (SLC) in March for students in all grade levels.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • BUGS begins the school year with student orientation and Baseline diagnostic assessments during the week before Labor Day. This allows students and teachers to begin establishing relationships and the culture of the learning environment. For students new to BUGS, it provides a low pressure, high impact acclimation to the community. The early diagnostic data opportunity allows BUGS teachers to plan more effectively to meet individual students’ needs.

    Extended time for learning is a key design element of the BUGS Charter. As an independent NYC charter school, BUGS establishes its own calendar to maximize instructional time and adhere to the charter through a longer school year, longer class periods, and slightly longer school day. Longer blocks of class time, a longer school day and a longer school year provide additional time to: maximize learning opportunities; implement innovative, cross-disciplinary approaches to curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and provide rigorous supports for ELL, special education, and struggling students. 

  • BUGS is mandated by the state to meet the required number of days for the charter. One way BUGS implements extended time for learning is by starting the school year before Labor Day. This also means that we are NOT extending learning by shortening Winter Recess, Mid-Winter Recess, or Spring Break. Nor are we extending the calendar of instructional days beyond the last week of June. 

    While some NYC charter schools start up to two weeks earlier, BUGS has historically begun at most one week prior to Labor Day. All other major breaks and holidays are consistent with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) calendar and maintained year-over-year to minimize disruption for families.

  • Other options considered have been longer class periods, a longer school day, and extending into the Month of July. A longer school day was not effective for our students, teachers and families. Extending the school year into July was also not favorable to many due to the impact it would have on students and families plans for summer camps, summer vacations, or summer school where necessary. Altering other scheduled breaks presents similar challenges for families whose children attend Department of Education (DOE) schools, as this would result in differing recess schedules (Mid-Winter Recess, Spring Break).

  • Yes. To avoid unnecessary disruption for our families, BUGS aligns its major school breaks and holidays with the NYC Department of Education calendar. Our extended instructional time is gained primarily at the start of the year.

  • BUGS has considered the options mentioned above for meeting the mandated requirements for the instructional calendar and have concluded that the least impactful to students and families is to start the week before Labor Day.  BUGS does not plan to consider commencing the school year following Labor Day in the foreseeable future.