# Spring Break for K-12 Kids - What Weeks Normally?



## jlwquilter (Apr 22, 2007)

Hi. Now that I have a school age child AND timeshares, I am wondering what weeks normally are Spring Break...?

This year for my SE FL 2nd grader, it was Week 13 and next year's calendar says it's Week 14. Will it normally fall on either Week 13 or 14? What other weeks generally occur? Is there a way for me to see what is planned for several years out, not just for next year when the Board publishes it (ie: know when Easter will occur so I can at least guess when Spring Break will be planned)?

Thanks!


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## sfwilshire (Apr 23, 2007)

Check with some local parents. I know in my school systems, you can't really count on anything. Just when I think I have them figured out, they'll throw a monkey wrench in the works. 

I try never to book anything until they publish the next year's final dates around April of the prior school year. A few times when I've guessed and guessed wrong, I've wound up pulling the kids out of school for the dates I'd booked. It gets harder as they get older to do that.

Sheila


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## dougp26364 (Apr 23, 2007)

Our school system has always had week 11 for Spring break for as long as I can remember. It almost always fell on our daughters birthday week. Twice we vacationed during her birthday week. She turned 15 in Vegas and 16 in Orlando.

Of course, different school systems are going to do things differently. Why they would routinely change what week Spring break is on I have no idea but, school systems seem to have no concept the parents might have a life that does not revolve around them. Much like some employeers believe you life should revolve around work.


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## johnmfaeth (Apr 23, 2007)

Most of NY, CT, and Northern NJ have Presidents Week which is normally week 7. That is largely not the case in Central and Southern NJ.


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## abc31 (Apr 23, 2007)

You can check timeanddate.com to see when the holidays fall for several years out.  My school does different things each year for spring break so it's hard to predict.  I am in Long Island, N.Y. and I have already gotten my calendar for next year.  Easter falls very early this year and Passover falls late. Easter is March 23 in 2008.  My school is giving 3 days off for Easter week and then a week off April 21-25 for Passover.  I

I am also trying to figure out when most schools will have their break to see which of these times will be less crowded at Disney.


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## Dave M (Apr 23, 2007)

abc31 said:


> I am also trying to figure out when most schools will have their break to see which of these times will be less crowded at Disney.


From a sticky thread at the top of the TUG Lounge forum, here is the info.


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## abc31 (Apr 23, 2007)

Thank you, Dave.  That is very, very helpful!

abc


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## Don (Apr 23, 2007)

jlwquilter said:


> Hi. Now that I have a school age child AND timeshares, I am wondering what weeks normally are Spring Break...?
> 
> This year for my SE FL 2nd grader, it was Week 13 and next year's calendar says it's Week 14. Will it normally fall on either Week 13 or 14? What other weeks generally occur? Is there a way for me to see what is planned for several years out, not just for next year when the Board publishes it (ie: know when Easter will occur so I can at least guess when Spring Break will be planned)?
> 
> Thanks!



Each county in Florida sets up its own calendar every year so its going to change yearly.  You can also throw in or remove days due to/or lack of huricanes.   This year in Charlotte County, spring break was the week of 3/25.  Another thing to take into consideration is when Easter falls, early or late.
Although Easter varies on the date it falls, it actually comes at a particular time.  Easter falls on the first Sunday on or after the first full moon after the spring equinox.


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## johnmfaeth (Apr 23, 2007)

Don said:


> Easter falls on the first Sunday on or after the first full moon after the spring equinox.



Pretty easy to calculate if you're a Druid Astronomer


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## wcfr1 (Apr 23, 2007)

jlwquilter said:


> Hi. I am wondering what weeks normally are Spring Break...?
> 
> This year for my SE FL 2nd grader, it was Week 13 and next year's calendar says it's Week 14. Will it normally fall on either Week 13 or 14? What other weeks generally occur? Is there a way for me to see what is planned for several years out, not just for next year when the Board publishes it (ie: know when Easter will occur so I can at least guess when Spring Break will be planned)?
> 
> Thanks!



I also live in Florida with school age children so I have been playing this game for the last 8 years.

First, your spring break is controlled by your local school system. It can change year to year and is never published more than one year in advance. 

In your home county, spring break for public school may be one week, for any colleges in your area another week, and for private schools almost any other week. Here in the Tampa Bay area only Pinellas and Sarasota Counties had the same week. Hillsborough, Manattee and Pasco all had different weeks as did St. Pete College, USF, and Eckerd College. Most private schools around here were the week before or after us.

Because the State passed a law last year that no public school could start more than two weeks before Labor day, schedules for many counties will be different for next year than from this year. 

For the 4 years Pinellas County was week 12 (it was different before that but I can't recall what week). Becasue of the start date change we are week 13 next year. The school calander was in the news a bunch when they were deciding what to do. There is a good chance it will be changed again next year, depending on what the people bring back to the school board next year.

If your County uses Easter as it's Spring Break week every year you may be able to plan, but rememer Easter moves on the calander.  

As others have written , week 7 is big in the Northeast. March is the busiest month of the year in Pinellas because it's always somebodys spring break somewhere, and they all seem to want to come here. Pretty much, mid February through the first couple weeks of April are Spring Break weeks for someone.

FYI- The reason the state got involved with setting the schedule was becauase of FCAT testing. If you are in third grade next year that is an important test year for you, Good Luck!. 

School funding is partly based on a schools FCAT score. Since testing is always done statewide at the same time in late February/early March, school districts figured the earlier they started school, the more they can teach the kids for FCAT. Thus, the hope was they would test higher bringing more $$$ to each school.

As a result, districts kept moving the start time earlier and earlier. One Forida district was ready to start school in July next year. (They would get out in April. Imagine what their spring break would have been!).

Now the playing field is level for all public school districts. We all can start no earlier than two weeks before Labor Day. That is three weeks later for us this year. For us that means a couple other things.

1- Three extra weeks of summer vacation this year.
2- Later start for summer vacation next year. Always got good travel deals for early summer vacation. Smaller crowds too. Going to miss that.
3- Have to compete with more people for summer deals and exchanges.


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## Mel (Apr 23, 2007)

And of course, your later start ruins our late summer deals!  New England states have historically taken a week in February and another week in April.  We don't call them spring break or easter break because they are almost always the same.  February is Presidents' week (they're already going to get Presidents' day anyway, and we get a week to kill off any illnesses that are starting to spread - it really does make a difference).  April is Patriot's Week (last monday was Patriot's Day, and is a state holiday in Mass and Maine).

For others, clearly spring break floats a bit.  I recall when we were in Maryland they had to refigure the calender 1 month before the start of school because the state testing ended up being the same date as mid-term exams.  I gave up long ago trying to scedule around the schools more than 1 year out - maybe that's part of why RCI is pushing points, because more people can't schedule that far out.

Families are the perfect demographic for timeshares, but you can't buy a fixed week to use yourself if those vacation weeks keep moving around.


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## elaine (Apr 23, 2007)

*we (VA) have ours tthe week before Easter--NE FLa is 1st week April*

My friend in Gainesville always has hers the 1st week in April (but they are parochial school). There is a sticky on the TUG lounge, I believe with various spring breaks.


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## Fletcher921 (Apr 23, 2007)

In San Diego, Ca we usually get the week before and the week after Easter.


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## Vodo (Apr 23, 2007)

wcfr1 said:


> I also live in Florida with school age children so I have been playing this game for the last 8 years.
> 
> First, your spring break is controlled by your local school system. It can change year to year and is never published more than one year in advance.
> 
> ...



Florida counties have consistently started school earlier and earlier for the last few years in order to accommodate FCAT preparation.  This year it was 8/2 in Hillsborough County (Tampa).  My understanding of the new legislation, which mandates that no school district in the state resumes classes any sooner than 14 days before Labor Day, is that it was the result of the tourist industries in Orlando and Dade County complaining about a loss of income with the short summer vacations and also a loss of student and temporary employees before the end of the out-of-state tourist peak.

Whatever the reason, I'm happy to have a longer summer break this year, but I'm REALLY going to miss having that last week of May to vacation before the rest of the country comes to Florida in June.

Spring Break for Hillsborough will be April 7-11 in 2008.

Cindy


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## jlwquilter (Apr 30, 2007)

I guess I will have to take it year by year then. And lean more toward float weeks for my TSs of choice if I want to use them for Spring Break... but that is really tough too as many desirable resorts (in FL I mean) just have fixed weeks for those same weeks   (ie: can't use a float week to reserve the weeks).  I was hoping against hope that maybe Spring Break was normally one of say 3 weeks, so I could look to snag a few deals on those fixed weeks. Not to be.

I didn't know about the law change that pushed back the school start date! I was wondering why school started later this year but just shrugged it off as one of those things. Usually DH catches those things, but not this time  

Thanks everyone.


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