Anne Arundel Schools Plan Earlier Start Date for 2026, Families React

Anne Arundel County families may need to adjust next year’s summer plans. A newly proposed school calendar would bring students back to class earlier than any year in at least 15 years.

Under the proposal, AACPS would begin the 2026–27 school year on August 19, 2026, with the last day set for June 11, 2027.

“There are a lot of complexities to the calendar,” said district spokesperson Bob Mosier, noting that this is the first calendar built under Maryland’s new “flexibility law,” which allows districts to base their year on instructional hours instead of both hours and days.

Reactions from families have been mixed.

Some parents and grandparents say starting that early could disrupt vacations, summer camps, and childcare plans.

“They want to be out on vacation or swimming or playing,” said Marian Grooms, whose grandchild attends AACPS. “They’re not going to adapt well to that.”

Others say the early start doesn’t bother them, as long as breaks remain intact.

“I used to go to school in Tennessee where we started around the same time,” one community member shared. “As long as they still get their breaks, it’s fine.”

Parent and substitute teacher Shelby Hedges said the shift mostly affects her kids’ summer activities.

“The only thing it would affect is my kids’ camp,” she said. “Other than that, my kiddos love school.”

Nearby Districts and Their SY Start-dates

Compared with nearby districts, the proposed schedule puts AACPS ahead of the pack. Baltimore County, for example, wouldn’t start until August 31, nearly two weeks later.

According to Mosier, the 24-member calendar committee (made up of students, parents, teachers, and staff) built the proposal around several changes:

• Early-dismissal days could drop from 12 to 4, freeing up more teacher work days
• A full two-week winter break would be added
• The shift to “hours-based” planning gives the county more calendar flexibility than other Maryland districts

Some parents say more breaks throughout the year could actually help with attendance and burnout.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education is expected to discuss and possibly adopt the final calendar at its next meeting on December 3.

Anne Arundel Schools Plan Earlier Start Date for 2026, Families React was originally published on 92q.com