why doi have school on presidents day

Most schools that stay open on Presidents Day are doing it because of how the local school calendar is set up, not because the holiday “doesn’t count.”

Quick Scoop: Why you still have school

Here’s what usually happens behind the scenes:

• Districts set their own calendars.
  Even though Presidents Day (officially Washington’s Birthday) is a federal holiday, each school district or college decides whether it’s a day off or a normal class day.

• They have to hit a certain number of days.
  States require a minimum number of instructional days or hours, so districts sometimes keep school open on Presidents Day to make sure they meet those requirements without extending the year into summer.

• Weather and makeup days.
  In places that lose days to snow or other closures, districts may “trade” days off like Presidents Day so they don’t have to add extra days later.

• Teacher work days vs. student days.
  Some districts use Presidents Day as a teacher training/work day, meaning students stay home but teachers still go in; others flip it and keep it as a normal student day.

• Public vs. private schools.
  Many public schools close for Presidents Day, but some private schools and some colleges treat it as a regular Monday and hold classes anyway.

• It really does “depend.”
  Surveys show a big chunk of districts close or use it as a teacher work day, but not all—so two kids in the same state can have totally different answers to “Do we get Presidents Day off?”

So if you’re wondering “why do I have school on Presidents Day,” the short answer is: your district decided that having you in class on that Monday fit their calendar and state requirements better than giving you the day off.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.