APS weighs later start for 2027-28 school year

Albuquerque Public Schools is considering a later start for the 2027-2028 school year.

The district is asking students, families and staff to decide between a school year for first through 12th grades running from Aug. 6 to May 25, and another from Aug. 19 to June 8.

Respondents can choose which option they prefer in a survey open Monday through Feb. 20 available at aps.edu.

A first semester beginning Aug. 6 would end in December, while the option beginning Aug. 19 would end in January, which means fall finals would be taken after winter break, APS officials said in a news release.

Both calendars have a fall break from Oct. 8 through Oct. 11, coinciding with Balloon Fiesta and Indigenous Peoples Day; fall parent-teacher conferences on the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week; two weeks for winter break and a spring break aligned with the vernal holiday on April 14.

School officials said they proposed the later start date in part due to recurring “heat and humidity concerns” that surface at the beginning of every school year. On the second day of the current school year in August when temperatures reached 101 degrees, APS had nearly 500 work orders to fix cooling systems across its almost 150 campuses.

APS officials said the two calendars reflect feedback from earlier surveys, including requests for consistent start and end dates and parent-teacher conferences across all APS schools, as well as more uninterrupted five-day weeks.

The current APS school year for first through 12th graders runs from Aug. 7, 2025 until May 28, 2026. Pre-K and kindergarten students began classes a few days later on Aug. 11. The next school year runs from Aug. 7, 2026 until May 27, 2027.

School calendars are approved by the APS Board of Education two years in advance. 

 Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.