BY KARISSA MILLER
Executive Director of Accountability, Testing and Student Information Laura Elliot presented proposals for 2026-27 and 2027-2028 school calendars for the traditional schools, early colleges and N.B. Mills Elementary School to the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on Monday.
Elliot said that other school systems approve school calendars for two years and she wanted to present two school calendar years for their approval this year.
“Overwhelmingly, I think teachers would prefer Option A … This is something you definitely can control when you are talking about positive morale boost when it comes to teachers’ opinions,” said Teacher of the Year Lauren Gaither.
2026-2027 Options
Traditional School Calendar for 2026-2027
♦ Option 1 (A): Traditional schools begin on August 12, 2026, and the last day of school is May 27, 2027. Option 1 allows high school students to take their final exams for their first semester courses before winter break. Students would attend school for 179 days.
♦ Option 2: Traditional schools begin on Aug. 24, 2026, and the last day of school is June 10, 2027. Students would attend school for 178 student days. The first semester would end after the winter break January 15.
Early College Calendar 2026-2027
♦ Early colleges would begin on August 12, 2026, and end on May 27, 2027 for a total of 179 student days.
NB Mills Elementary Calendar 2026-2027
♦ N.B. Mills Elementary follows a year-round calendar. The school year begins August 3, 2026, and ends on June 18, 2027, for a total of 177 student days.
2027-2028 Options
Traditional School Calendar for 2027-2028
♦ Option 1: Traditional Schools begin on August 11, 2027, and the last day of school is May 25, 2028. Option 1 allows high school students to take their final exams for their first semester courses before winter break. Students would attend school for 177 days.
♦ Option 2: Traditional Schools will begin on August 23, 2027, and the last day of school is June 8, 2028. Semester 1 would end after the Winter Break on January 14. Students would attend school for 176 student days.
Early College Calendar 2027-2028
♦ Early Colleges will begin on August 11, 2027 and end on May 25, 2028 for a total of 177 student days. If Option 1 is chosen, the Traditional and Early College would be aligned for all days.
N.B. Mills Elementary Calendar 2027-2028
♦ N.B. Mills Elementary follows a Year-Round Calendar. The school year will begin August 2, 2027 and end on June 16, 2028 for a total of 177 student days.
Each year, board members are divided about the decision to adopt the school calendar. This is because N.C. law requires public schools to start “no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26 and end by the Friday closest to June 11.”
However, the past calendars approved by the board deviate from this law because school officials believe the law is not in the best interest of students.
The board discussed the many facets of the school calendar, including the the pros and cons to adopting Option 1, but also asked if there would be any punishment by the state if they didn’t follow state school calendar law.
The board did not vote on the calendar Monday night, but will next month.
“Board members, we are going to do our due diligence, ask questions between now and the next meeting and come prepared,” Chair Kevin Angell said.
South Iredell students perform Christmas music
South Iredell High School’s violin orchestra members took center stage during Monday’s board meeting. The group performed familiar Christmas songs such as “Silent Night, Holy Night,” “O Come, All ye Faithful” and “Jingle Bells.” The students received a round of applause and the school board members said they served as an example of one of the school system’s thriving music programs.