The Evanston Township High School District 202 Board of Education on Monday night approved a draft 2026-2027 calendar that would put ETHS’ start date a week later than is typical. That switch would also make ETHS’ start just a week away from Evanston/Skokie School District 65’s, instead of the two weeks difference observed the last few years.
Come the 2026-2027 school year, ETHS students will start on Monday, Aug. 17. While District 65 has not yet passed a 2026-2027 calendar, the district’s school year typically begins the final week of August.
“Aligning with District 65 helps families reduce stress, reduces child care conflicts and supports collaboration,” Michael Jacobson, ETHS’s assistant director of communications, said at Monday’s meeting. “The proposed start date, August 17, is later than in recent years and better aligns with District 65. This also ensures adequate time for summer programming and facility maintenance.”
The ETHS calendar is created each year by a committee made up of administrators, faculty, staff and representatives from District 65 to help ensure a range of perspectives are heard.
The proposed draft calendar “provides families with early notice of key dates and may be revised as needed,” Jacobson said.
A year to wait
Parents will still have to wait out the two-week calendar difference for one more year.
The younger students in District 65 will still start their school year this coming fall on Monday, Aug. 25, while high school students will return to classes on Monday, Aug. 11.
This two-week difference continues through the year. School ends for ETHS students next year on May 22, 2026, while District 65 students finish up on June 5, 2026. But their fall, winter and spring breaks all line up, as usual.
ETHS calendar should be closer to District 65 in 2026 is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.