Los Lunas Schools Board Unanimously Approves Calendar B for 2026-2027

The Los Lunas Schools Board of Education voted 5-0 to adopt Calendar B as the student calendar for the 2026-2027 school year, a decision the district says reflects community and employee preference and will determine start and holiday timing for Valencia County families. The approval was announced by the district in a press release dated November 19, 2025 and described as occurring during the board’s regular meeting on November 18, 2025.

Calendar B returns students to class on August 4, 2026 and keeps the student year ending before Memorial Day. The district-stated schedule includes a full week off for Thanksgiving and a spring break that the district says will follow Easter and run March 29 through April 1. A local news report lists spring break through April 2 and identifies May 28 as the final student day; the district press release does not specify the explicit final date beyond confirming an end prior to Memorial Day. Families should consult the district calendar file for the definitive dates.

The calendar was one of three options developed by a Calendar Committee convened in October that included certified staff, classified employees, NEA Los Lunas representatives and parents. The committee worked over four weeks to craft the proposals while reviewing New Mexico Public Education Department requirements and survey results from community members and district employees. Calendar B earned 40 percent of the combined community and employee vote, and the district reported broad participation in outreach.

The community survey produced specific signals about local priorities. The district reported receiving 1,410 responses, with more than 78 percent rating it very important that school not start before August 1 and more than 69 percent favoring an end date before Memorial Day. Half of respondents said a full week off for Thanksgiving was very important. On the question of aligning spring break with local universities, responses were split, with 39 percent calling alignment very important and 35.8 percent saying it was not important.

The adopted calendar also complies with NMPED instructional requirements. Local reporting lists the calendar as meeting the New Mexico mandate of 1,140 instructional hours across 181 student days, with 191 teacher days that include 10 professional development days. The district plans for four remote learning days to be available for inclement weather or emergencies, a contingency the district has banked in past years.

Assistant Superintendent Jessica Montaño thanked committee members and participants, saying, “The District would like to extend their appreciation to the committee members for their volunteer efforts and to all community members and employees who participated in the survey and voting process.” LLS Marketing & Media Specialist Sidney Olivas acknowledged ongoing debate around calendars and noted stronger survey involvement this cycle: “I would say there is some pushback every year, because again, you can’t make everyone happy. But I would say since there was more involvement in the survey, I would say a vast majority of our families were pleased with the outcome.”

Los Lunas Schools posted the calendar decision on the district news page. For verification or media inquiries contact Sidney Olivas at solivas@llschools.net or (505) 453-9864. The practical impact for Valencia County is clear: parents and employers can begin planning for an August 4 start, a Thanksgiving week break, and a school year that concludes before Memorial Day, with final date confirmation available in the district’s posted calendar.