MARTINS FERRY — Summer vacation may have just begun for many students, but the countdown to the 2026-27 school year is already underway in the Martins Ferry City School District.

District officials have released the academic calendar for the upcoming school year, which will see students return to classrooms Aug. 19 following two teacher in-service days on Aug. 17-18.

The calendar outlines 179 student instructional days and 184 teacher work days, along with holiday breaks, grading periods, parent-teacher conferences and commencement exercises.

The first nine-week grading period will conclude Oct. 23, with the second nine weeks beginning Oct. 26. The second grading period will end Jan. 15, followed by the start of the third nine weeks on Jan. 19. The third grading period will conclude March 23, and the fourth and final grading period will begin March 30.

Students will have several breaks throughout the year, including Labor Day on Sept. 7, Columbus Day on Oct. 12, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18 and Presidents Day on Feb. 15.

The district’s Thanksgiving break is scheduled for Nov. 25-30, while Christmas vacation will run from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1. Students will return to school Jan. 4. Easter vacation is set for March 25-29.

Parent-teacher conferences are planned for Nov. 2 and March 23. Both conference days will feature early dismissals, with high school students released at noon and elementary and middle school students dismissed at 1 p.m. Conferences will be held from noon to 5 p.m. for high school parents and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for elementary and middle school families.

Election Day on Nov. 3 and May 4 will serve as staff development days, resulting in no classes for students.

The final day of classes for students is scheduled for May 24. Teachers will report for a work day on May 25 before the school year officially concludes. Commencement exercises are scheduled for 2 p.m. May 30.

According to the calendar, the 179 student days translate to 984.5 academic hours at the elementary level and 1,092 academic hours for middle and high school students.

School officials noted the calendar is designed to meet state instructional requirements while providing students and staff with scheduled breaks throughout the academic year.