NORTH CAROLINA — A review of available 2025-26 North Carolina public school calendars shows a handful of districts are scheduled to finish classes during May 2026, although many traditional-calendar districts continue into June because of North Carolina calendar law requirements.
Among the districts with one of the earliest May endings is Cumberland County Schools, which lists May 22, 2026 as the final day of school for students on its traditional 10-month calendar. The district calendar notes the final day will include a two-hour early release.
Johnston County Public Schools also currently lists May 22, 2026 as the final student day on its district events calendar, with the day designated as an early release and subject to change if make-up days are needed.
Several North Carolina districts operating under modified or year-round calendars are also expected to finish in May. Orange County Schools maintains both traditional and year-round calendars, though the district’s traditional calendar currently extends into June while some year-round schedules conclude earlier.
Most traditional-calendar districts reviewed, however, are scheduled to continue into June 2026. Wilson County Schools lists June 3, 2026 as the last day of school and end of the fourth term on its accessible district calendar.
Wake County Public School System is scheduled to end on June 11, 2026, while Orange County Schools plans for June 10 and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for June 11.
District calendar pages reviewed for Durham Public Schools, Union County Public Schools, Onslow County Schools, Davidson County Schools, Burke County Public Schools, Franklin County Schools, Rockingham County Schools and Gaston County Schools all showed approved 2025-26 calendars online, although final student dates were not clearly visible in the search previews reviewed.
North Carolina law generally requires traditional public schools to begin no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday closest to June 11, unless districts receive waivers or operate year-round calendars.
School calendars can still change because of weather-related closures, state waivers or future board revisions. This review was based on publicly available 2025-26 calendars and district announcements and should not be considered a complete list of every North Carolina school district.
