If you have a Texas standard or expanded possession order, your child’s school calendar decides when your holidays start and end. Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break all begin on the day school lets out, and several end the day before school resumes. A staff development day on a Friday or Monday can also add a day to a weekend.
Because every district sets its own calendar, two families with identical orders can have different exchange dates. Below are the 2026–27 dates for the major districts in Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties. To see your full schedule day by day, use our free Texas possession schedule calendar.
Who has which holiday in 2026–27
Texas standard orders alternate holidays between even and odd years. Fall 2026 is an even year, and spring 2027 is an odd year. Under a standard or expanded order, that works out like this:
| Holiday | Who has it |
|---|---|
| Thanksgiving 2026 | Primary parent |
| Christmas 2026, first half (school dismissal to noon Dec. 28) | Non-primary parent |
| Christmas 2026, second half (noon Dec. 28 to the day before school resumes) | Primary parent |
| Spring break 2027 | Primary parent |
| Mother’s Day weekend (May 7–9, 2027) | The mother |
| Father’s Day weekend (June 18–20, 2027) | The father |
The non-primary parent is the possessory conservator. The primary parent is the conservator who decides the child’s residence. In 2027–28 the Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break assignments flip.
Break dates by school district
Thanksgiving break is Nov. 23–27 in every district below, so Thanksgiving possession starts on Friday, Nov. 20 (when school lets out under an expanded order, or 6 p.m. under a standard order) and ends at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29. Christmas and spring break vary more:
| District | County | Christmas pickup (last school day) | School resumes in January | Spring break 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northside ISD | Bexar | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 8–12 |
| North East ISD | Bexar | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 8–12 |
| Comal ISD | Comal | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 8–12 |
| New Braunfels ISD | Comal | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 8–12 |
| Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD | Guadalupe | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 8–12 |
| Hays CISD | Hays | Thu., Dec. 17 | Wed., Jan. 6 | Mar. 15–19 |
| Austin ISD | Travis | Fri., Dec. 18 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 15–19 |
| Round Rock ISD | Williamson | Thu., Dec. 17 | Tue., Jan. 5 | Mar. 15–19 |
Hays CISD and Round Rock ISD have a staff day on Friday, Dec. 18, so the Christmas exchange moves up to Thursday, Dec. 17. In Northside ISD and New Braunfels ISD, Monday, March 15 is also a day off, so spring break possession runs through 6 p.m. that Monday. Dates are from each district’s published 2026–27 calendar as of October 2026; confirm with your school, since districts sometimes revise them.
Dates parents often miss this year
- The November 20 weekend. It’s the non-primary parent’s 3rd weekend, but Thanksgiving belongs to the primary parent in 2026. The holiday overrides the weekend, so the non-primary parent doesn’t get it.
- The first weekend of January. January 1, 2027 is a 1st Friday, but it falls inside the primary parent’s half of Christmas, so that weekend is replaced too. The non-primary parent’s next weekend is Jan. 15.
- MLK weekend. Every district above is closed Monday, Jan. 18. That extends the non-primary parent’s 3rd weekend (starting Jan. 15) through Monday, to 6 p.m. under a standard order or until school resumes Tuesday morning under an expanded order. Presidents’ Day (Feb. 15) doesn’t extend anything, because it follows the 2nd weekend.
- Father’s Day weekend. June 18, 2027 is a 3rd Friday. If the mother is the non-primary parent, Father’s Day replaces her weekend that week.
Summer 2027: the April 1 deadline
The non-primary parent gets 30 days of extended summer possession. To pick the dates, they must give the primary parent written notice by April 1, 2027. The 30 days can be split into two blocks of at least seven days each. Without notice, the default is July 1 at 6 p.m. through July 31 at 6 p.m.
The primary parent has their own spring deadlines for designating a summer weekend, so check your order for the exact dates and notice requirements.
See your exact schedule
Pick your district in our Texas possession schedule calendar to see every weekend, Thursday and holiday for 2026–27. You can download it to your phone’s calendar too.
This post describes the standard and expanded schedules in the Texas Family Code. Your signed court order controls, and many orders change these terms. If the other parent isn’t following your order, or you think your schedule should change, call the Law Offices of Jesus R. Lopez at (210) 224-5245 or send us a message.
This post is general information, not legal advice.
