New York State Adds 3 More Holidays To 2025-26 School Calendar

Our kids are back to school, and we are all trying to get our schedules organized. As we navigate this new school year, be aware that New York State has added three new holidays. Yes, our kids get three extra days off this school year.

In an effort to "recognize and celebrate New York's rich cultural and religious diversity", the school calendar has three new holidays being observed. The three holidays are:

Diwali on Monday, October 20, 2025,
Asian Lunar New Year on Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Eid al-Adha on Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Diwali is widely celebrated as the "Festival of Lights," a significant five-day Hindu festival symbolizing the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.

Asian Lunar New Year was celebrated for the first time as a holiday in New York Schools last year. It's a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It's also the most important holiday in China, and it is widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.

Eid al-Adha is known as the festival of sacrifice and is celebrated in the Islamic culture throughout the world.

I love the idea of including other cultures and holidays, but it does create a bit of a problem for working parents. It's hard enough sometimes for drop-off and pick-up because of most school hours, and now to add three extra holidays to the calendar will create more of a scramble.