New Jersey School Districts Cut Spring Break, Extend Year After Record Snowfall
Schools throughout New Jersey are slashing spring break and tacking extra days onto the year after a blizzard buried parts of the state under 30 inches of snow.
A truck drives along Summit street as snow falls on February 23, 2026 in Norwood, New Jersey. The northeast U.S. was hit by an intense nor’easter with blizzard conditions, heavy snow and strong winds.
Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty ImagesSchools throughout New Jersey are slashing spring break and tacking extra days onto the year after a blizzard buried parts of the state under 30 inches of snow. Dozens of districts shut down for a second straight day Tuesday while crews dug out roads and parking lots.
Edison, located in Middlesex County, whittled down its spring break by two days at a minimum. Officials told students they'd have to show up March 31, which was supposed to be the second day off. The district had wiped out the first break day earlier when schools closed on Jan. 25 because of a different storm.
Other districts are tacking days onto June. Metuchen in Middlesex County lost three days this year due to snow. Classes will now wrap on June 24 instead of June 18.
According to NJ.com, state law mandates 180 days of instruction each year. Schools can switch to remote learning if they close for more than three consecutive days during a declared emergency. But a quick snowstorm doesn't meet that bar, so districts just cancel classes.
Districts can reclaim lost time on Saturdays or holidays. But there's a catch: teachers can't be forced to work on legal holidays. The academic year also can't stretch past June 30, when most teacher contracts expire, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Newark, the state's biggest district, tried something different. Officials bumped up a professional development day to Tuesday. Kids stayed home, while teachers logged in remotely for their training.
Some districts planned ahead. Morris school district in Morris County tucked four emergency days into its calendar. They haven't burned through those yet. Any leftover days will shave time off the end of the year, the district said on its website.
Losing an entire spring break is unusual. Vernon school district in Sussex County axed the whole break back in 2018. That year, they'd lost 12 days to snow and other disruptions. Their calendar had only five emergency days built in.
