Are schools open on Black Friday?
Schools · Black Friday
Closed
Almost certainly not — nearly every district takes the day after Thanksgiving off.
The Friday after Thanksgiving isn't a federal holiday, but it's one of the most dependable school closings of the year. It sits inside the Thanksgiving break on virtually every district calendar.
Where districts differ is how far back the break starts — Wednesday, Monday, or not at all — rather than whether the Friday is off. Offices and athletics generally take the day too.
| Holiday | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Closed Districts close for Thanksgiving. |
| Black Friday | Friday, November 27, 2026 | Closed Nearly all districts take the day after Thanksgiving off. |
| Thanksgiving | Thursday, November 25, 2027 | Closed Districts close for Thanksgiving. |
| Black Friday | Friday, November 26, 2027 | Closed Nearly all districts take the day after Thanksgiving off. |
What else on Black Friday?
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Open Yes — banks are open the day after Thanksgiving. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Open Yes — mail is delivered the day after Thanksgiving and post offices are open. |
| The Stock Market | Early close Yes — but it's a half day: the stock market closes at 1pm ET the day after Thanksgiving. |
| UPS | Open Yes — UPS picks up and delivers the day after Thanksgiving. |
| FedEx | Varies Yes — FedEx delivers the day after Thanksgiving, with pickups on a modified schedule. |
| Federal Offices | Open Yes — federal offices are open the day after Thanksgiving. |
| Trash Pickup | Varies Often yes — but the truck on your street is usually Thursday's route running late, not Friday's. Check with your hauler. |
Questions people ask
Is the day after Thanksgiving ever a school day?
It's rare. A district that has lost days to weather might convert it into a make-up day, and that would go out as a change to the published calendar. Otherwise the Friday is part of the break.
Checked against your school district's calendar, verified August 2026. When a schedule for a new year has not been published yet, this page says so — it never guesses.