2027-2028 School Calendar Survey - Parent / Community Member

As the Northborough, Southborough, and Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committees begin developing the 2027 - 2028 school calendar, they are seeking feedback from parents, guardians, faculty, and staff. Under Massachusetts law, school committees are responsible for establishing the school calendar each year, and community feedback is an important part of that process.

Developing a school calendar requires balancing student learning, instructional continuity, student and employee well-being, family schedules, religious and cultural observances, and state requirements. Massachusetts requires schools to provide an 185-day school calendar.

In recent years, the District has scheduled school closures for several religious and cultural observances, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Good Friday, and Eid al-Fitr. These decisions reflect the many considerations involved in developing a calendar that serves a diverse school community.

Your feedback will help the School Committees better understand the priorities, experiences, and preferences of the school community. Survey results will be considered alongside educational, operational, contractual, and policy requirements. The survey is intended to inform the School Committees' decisions rather than to determine the calendar by majority vote.

The survey takes approximately 2 to 5 minutes to complete. Responses will be reported in aggregate to protect individual privacy. Please do not include names or identifying information in open-ended responses.

The survey closes on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 12:00 PM.

1.Which perspective best describes how you are completing this survey?

Parent or Guardian

Community Member

2.How satisfied are you with the current school calendar, including the timing of school vacations, holidays, and scheduled days off?

An opportunity to add an explanation

3.When would you prefer the school year to conclude, assuming the District meets all required instructional days? Select one.

Mid June

Late June

No preference

An opportunity to add an explanation

4.Which of the following benefits, if any, have you experienced as a result of the current school calendar? Select all that apply.

Opportunity to observe a cultural or religious holiday

Increased sense of belonging and inclusion

Breaks throughout the school week or year

Opportunity for family time

No benefit experienced - please explain

5.To what extent has the current school calendar created challenges for your family or household? Select one.

Significant challenges

Some challenges

Minor challenges

No challenges

An opportunity to add an explanation

6.Which school vacation structure would you prefer for the 2027 - 2028 school year? Each option would maintain the required 180 instructional days. Options B and C would allow the school year to conclude earlier than Option A, assuming no additional school cancellations.

Option A: Maintain the current February and April break structure. Retain one full week off in February and one full week off in April.

Option B: Shorten the February and April vacations. Schedule school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during both vacation weeks. This would allow school to end four days earlier in June.

Option C: Consolidate vacations into March. Replace the February and April vacation weeks with one full week of vacation in March. (Would allow school to end three days earlier in June)

Option D: No preference

An opportunity to add an explanation or a different option

7.During the 2025 - 2026 school year, did the school calendar create a conflict with a religious or cultural observance important to your family or household? Select one

Yes

No

If yes, please describe the conflict and how it affected your family or household. Do not include identifying information.

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. Survey results will be shared with the School Committees and considered alongside other information, including the District's experience implementing the current calendar, attendance and operational data, and the Religious and Cultural Observance Policy.