Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has adopted its 2026-27 academic calendar. The school year is set to start Tuesday, Aug. 25. But some local and state leaders continue to call for a change in state law to allow schools to start sooner. A bill to that effect has been introduced in the General Assembly.
CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill said the district would revisit the calendar if such a change was approved.
“The elephant in the room, obviously, is potential changes to calendar law. But at this time, the calendar that we’ve presented is in alignment with current legislation, and if any changes are made, we will go back and revisit," Hill told the school board this week.
Current law requires schools to start no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26.
But schools across the state have long called for the flexibility to start earlier so that the semester ends just before winter break.
Many schools openly ignore the law and start earlier, but so far, CMS has not done so. However, the board has advocated for the change in its legislative agenda, and a recent district wide survey suggested local support for the idea.
