Chicago Public Schools releases proposed 2023-24 academic calendar
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Public Schools published a draft of its 2023-2024 academic calendar.
The district will present the proposed schedule at next month's Board of Education meeting, set to be held on Feb. 22 for approval, CPS said.
For the next week, the public can view and is invited to share their thoughts on the proposed calendar by visiting the Board of Education website. Those wishing to leave comments can do so via a Google form. The public comment period will close at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25.
CPS listed important highlights of the proposed calendar:
- A school start date of Monday, Aug. 21, 2023 and an end date of Thursday, June 6, 2024.
- Students complete their first semester prior to winter break on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.
- 176 days of instruction for students.
- 12 professional learning days for teachers and school-based staff (consistent with the current school year).
- A shift in first quarter professional development to occur on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 — the day before report card pickup day — to allow for more consistent weeks in October.
- Combined parent-teacher conference day for both high school and elementary school students on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, and separate conferences on consecutive days in the spring of 2024 (elementary school on Wednesday, April 10 and high school on Thursday, April 11).
- Two weeks of winter vacation (Dec. 22, 2023–Jan. 5, 2024) and one week of spring vacation (March 25–29, 2024).
- No student instruction for the entire week of Thanksgiving (Nov. 20–24, 2023).
- Veterans Day will be a holiday for all staff and students during the 2023–24 school year and will be observed on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
Similar to this school year, next year's calendar:
- Aligns closely with the academic calendars of suburban school districts and local colleges and universities.
- Gives students a start date before Labor Day.
- Allows more students to participate in summer camps and job and recreational opportunities that start earlier in the summer.
- Give students more time to prepare for important exams, including AP and IB tests and the SAT.
The Board of Education will vote on the final calendar and once approved, it will be shared with all CPS families and staff.
