Cultural & Religious Holidays & Observances

The Beaverton School District has a richly diverse student population. To support our students and reduce conflicts between their academic achievement and observation of important cultural and religious traditions, the BSD School Board has revised Policy IGACA - Recognition and Accommodation of Religious and Cultural Beliefs, Customs and Observances. We see this policy as an opportunity for our school communities to better understand and appreciate all our families’ backgrounds and traditions. 

Some key points include:

• A student will be given an excused absence from school on the day of their cultural or religious holiday or observance. A parent/guardian should call the school’s main office to report the excused absence.

• If a student misses a test or assignment, the teacher will provide a meaningful opportunity and reasonable time to make up the missed assessment or work. We encourage families to communicate potential conflicts in advance so that teachers have time to make reasonable accommodations.

• Make-up opportunities will not be required on the school day immediately after a student’s absence related to a cultural or religious holiday or observance.

• Schools will avoid scheduling important events on these major holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Diwali, Christmas, Lunar New Year, Easter, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The district developed this list with input from the community; it is limited and does not reflect all important cultural and religious holidays.

• Teachers will avoid scheduling tests on the above days. They also are encouraged to avoid scheduling tests or making major assignments due on the day immediately following one of these days, respecting that impacted students may be unable to study on the holiday or may be affected by fasting or late-night observances.

• There may be circumstances in which scheduling events or assessments on these days is necessary or outside the control of the school, but those exceptions will be rare.

Downloadable Accommodation of Students’ Cultural and Religious Observances 2022-2025

Downloadable Accommodation of Students’ Cultural and Religious Observances 2024-2027

Do-Not-Schedule Dates

Holiday	2024-2025 School Year Dates	2025-2026 School Year Dates	2026-2027 School Year Dates
Rosh Hashanah	Sunset Wednesday, October 2- nightfall Friday, October 4	Sunset Monday, September 22-nightfall Wednesday, September 24	Sunset Friday, September 11-nightfall Sunday, September 13
Yom Kippur	Sunset Friday, October 11- nightfall Saturday, October 12	Sunset Wednesday, October 1-nightfall Thursday, October 2	Sunset Sunday, September 20-nightfall Monday, September 21
Diwali	Friday, November 1	Monday, October 20	Sunday, November 8
Christmas	Wednesday, December 25	Thursday, December 25	Friday, December 25
Lunar New Year	Wednesday, January 29	Tuesday, February 17	Saturday, February 6
Easter	Sunday, April 20	Sunday, April 5	Sunday, March 28
Eid al-Fitr*	Likely sunset Sunday, March 30-Monday, March 31	Likely sunset Thursday, March 19-Friday, March 20	Likely sunset Tuesday, March 9-Wednesday, March 10
Eid al-Adha*	Likely sunset Friday, June 6-Saturday, June 7	Likely sunset Tuesday, May 26-Wednesday, May 27	Likely sunset Sunday, May 16-Monday, May 17

*Estimated dates due to the lunar calendar; dates are determined based on when the crescent moon is sighted in North America. Please check the calendar closer to the holiday.

You also can find a supplemental calendar of holidays and observances below; again, this list is not exhaustive and does not reflect all cultural and religious observances. Schools and teachers will be aware of these dates when scheduling events, tests and major projects. The calendar also will be shared with school PTOs and PTCs for event planning purposes.

Supplemental Calendar of Holidays and Observances

Holiday	Observance Notes	2024-2025 School Year Dates	2025-2026 School Year Dates	2026-2027 School Year Dates
Al Hijra*	Islamic New Year, cultural celebration	Evening Sunday, July 7-evening Monday, July 8	Evening Monday, June 15-Tuesday, July 14	Evening Saturday, June 5-Sunday, July 4
Mid-autumn Festivals	Important holiday in the cultures of many East Asian countries; holidays include Moon or Mooncake Festival (China), Chuseok (Korea), Tsukimi (Japan), Tết Trung Thu (Vietnam).	Moon Festival: Tuesday, September 17 Chuseok: Monday, September 16- Wednesday, September 18 Tsukimi: Tuesday, September 17- Friday, September 20 Tết Trung Thu: Nightfall Monday, September 16-Tuesday, September 17	Moon Festival: Monday, October 6 Chuseok: Sunday, October 5-Tuesday, October 7 Tsukimi: Monday, October 6-Thursday, October 9  Tết Trung Thu: Nightfall Sunday October 5-Monday, October 6	Moon Festival: Friday, September 25 Chuseok: Thursday, September 24-Saturday, September 26 Tsukimi: Friday, September 25-Monday, September 28 Tết Trung Thu: Nightfall Thursday, September 24-Friday, September 25
Durga Puja  (especially days 3–5)	Hindu festival	Friday, October 11- Sunday, October 13	Monday, September 29-Thursday, October 2	Saturday, October 17-Wednesday, October 21
Dussehra	Hindu festival	Saturday, October 12	Thursday, October 2	Tuesday, October 20
Sukkot	Jewish holiday	Sunset Wednesday, October 16–nightfall Friday, October 18	Sunset Monday, October 6-nightfall Monday, October 13	Sunset Friday, September 25-nightfall Friday, October 2
Shemini Atzeret	Jewish holiday	Sunset Wednesday, October 23-nightfall Thursday, October 24	Sunset Monday, October 13-nightfall Wednesday, October 15	Sunset Friday, October 2-nightfall Sunday, October 4
Simchat Torah	Jewish holiday	Sunset Thursday, October 24-nightfall Friday, October 25	Sunset Tuesday, October 14-nightfall Wednesday, October 15	Sunset Saturday, October 3-nightfall Sunday, October 4
Five Days of Diwali	Hindu Festival of Lights	Thursday, October 31-Monday, November 4	Monday, October 20-Friday, October 24	Sunday, November 8-Thursday, November 12
Día de los Muertos/ Day of the Dead	Mexican cultural celebration	Evening Friday, November 1-evening Saturday November 2	Evening Saturday, November 1-evening Sunday, November 2	Evening Sunday, November 1-evening Monday, November 2
Gurpurab	Sikh festival	Friday, November 15	Wednesday, November 5	Tuesday, November 24
Our Lady of Guadalupe	Mexican Catholic celebration	Thursday, December 12	Friday, December 12	Saturday, December 12
Kwanzaa	African-American cultural celebration	Thursday, December 26- Wednesday, January 1	Thursday, December 26- Wednesday, January 1	Saturday, December 26-Friday, January 1
Shōgatsu	Japanese cultural holiday; January 1 is the official New Year holiday. Celebrations may continue through the week, particularly the first three days.	Wednesday, January 1-Friday, January 3	Thursday, January 1-Saturday, January 3	Friday, January 1-Sunday, January 3
Three Kings Day	Christian holiday	Monday, January 6	Tuesday, January 6	Wednesday, January 6
Pongal	Hindu harvest festival	Tuesday, January 14-Friday,  January 17	Wednesday, January 14-Saturday, January 17	Friday, January 15-Monday, January 18
Saraswati Puja	Hindu festival	Sunday, February 2	Friday, January 23	Thursday, February 11
Nowruz	Persian New Year	Friday, March 21	Saturday, March 21	Sunday, March 21
Passover Seder	The Jewish Seder feast is held on the first two nights of Passover. Recommended: Avoid scheduling important evening events, if possible.	Evening of Saturday, April 12 & evening of Sunday, April 13	Evening of Wednesday, April 1-evening of Thursday, April 2	Evening of Wednesday, April 21-evening of Thursday, April 22
Passover	Some Jewish families observe food restrictions. Recommended: Avoid scheduling food-focused events, if possible. Some students may be absent from school on the first day or first two days following the sunset start.	Sunset Saturday, April 12-nightfall Sunday, April 20	Sunset Wednesday, April 1-nightfall Thursday, April 9	Sunset Wednesday, April 21-nightfall Thursday, April 29
Holi	Hindu festival	Friday, March 14	Tuesday, March 4	Monday, March 22
Ramadan*	During the Islamic holy month, some Muslim families fast from sunrise to sunset each day. Recommended: Avoid scheduling physically rigorous or food-focused events, if possible. Avoid scheduling tests later in the day, if possible.	Likely evening of Friday, February 28-Sunday, March 30	Likely evening of Wednesday, February 18-Thursday, March 19	Likely evening of Sunday, February 7-Monday, March 8
Holy Week, including Good Friday	Christian observance	Sunday, April 13-Saturday, April 19	Sunday, March 29-Saturday, April 4	Sunday, March 21-Saturday, March 27
Vesak	Buddhist holiday	Monday, May 12	Friday, May 1	Thursday, May 20
Vaisakhi	Hindu & Sikh holiday	Monday, April 14	Tuesday, April 14	Wednesday, April 14
Mother’s Day (Mexico)	Mexican cultural celebration	Saturday, May 10	Sunday, May 10	Monday, May 10
Shavuot	Jewish holiday	Sunset Sunday, June 1-nightfall Tuesday, June 3	Sunset Thursday, May 21-nightfall Saturday, May 23	Sunset Thursday, June 10-nightfall Saturday, June 12
Juneteenth	District closed for state & federal holiday	Thursday, June 19	Friday, June 19	Saturday, June 19

* Estimated dates due to the lunar calendar; dates are determined based on when the crescent moon is sighted in North America. Please check the calendar closer to the holiday.