2026-2027 School Year Calendar
Dear Chief Leschi Families,
We are writing to share that our school calendar for the 2026–27 school year has been officially approved by the School Board. We want to make sure you have the key dates and understand a few important changes as you begin planning for next year. For all questions regarding next year's calendar, please contact us at calendar@leschischools.org
Key Dates:
- First day of school 1st grade – 12th: August 26
- First Day Ok Pre-K & Kindergarten: August 31 (To allow for WaKids testing)
- Last day of school: June 9th
New School Day Hours
The student day will be 9:00 AM – 3:35 PM.
We will also be offering a before-school tutoring option for families who need to drop students off earlier or want additional academic support. 7:45am – 8:30am.
Monthly Early Release
Instead of late start Mondays, we will now have a once-a-month early release day. This allows our staff to spend focused time working together to improve instruction and better support students.
Additional Calendar Highlights
- Family dinners will be aligned with conference weeks to make it easier for families to participate.
- The day before Potlatch Days will be a full day off again next year.
Common Questions:
Why are we starting school a week earlier in August?
Many of our families work at Firecracker Alley during June and July. Starting earlier allows us to better align with our community and ensures that the school year ends earlier in June. In the past, heat was a concern in August, but with our updated HVAC system, our buildings are now well-equipped for any warmer weather.
Why are school hours changing?
We are shifting the school day for a couple of important reasons. First, this brings us more in line with surrounding districts.
More importantly, both our own attendance data and national research show that students do better with a slightly later start. Many of our students have long bus rides, and this change gives them an additional 30 minutes in the morning—which adds up to about 90 extra hours of sleep over the school year.
Why are there no more late start Mondays?
With the ½ hour later start time, we are moving to a monthly early release model to give teachers more meaningful and focused time to work together. This helps improve classroom instruction and allows staff to better support students. It also gives our Culture team dedicated time to working with teachers to bring cultural learning into everyday classroom experiences.
Why is there an extra 5 minutes added to the end of the school day?
Schools are required to meet both a set number of days (180) and a minimum number of instructional hours each year. Since we are shortening the day by 30 minutes, we need to make sure we still meet those hourly requirements.
Adding 5 minutes to each day gives us a small cushion so that if we have weather-related late starts or schedule changes, we won’t have to add extra days to the end of the school year.
We believe these changes will better support our students, align us with other schools in the area, and provide stronger learning opportunities throughout the year.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
