Attendance Accounting and Residency

Legally Mandated Holidays for Fiscal Years 2025-26 through 2030-31

A list of the legally mandated academic holidays, as specified by Education Code section 79020, is provided for your convenience in establishing your future academic calendars for fiscal years 2025-26 through 2030-31.

Assembly Bill 2156 (Rivas) designates March 31 as Farmworkers Day effective immediately.

Assembly Bill 268 (Kalra) modified EC 79020 (I) to add Diwali as an optional holiday. Effective January 1, 2026, a community college may close on the 15th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu Lunar calendar of each year known as ‘Diwali.’

Assembly Bill 1655 (Jones-Sawyer, Chapter 753, Statues of 2022) modified Education code section 79020 adding Juneteenth to the list of mandated holidays. Effective January 1, 2023, districts will be expected to observe the Juneteenth holiday in accordance with the statute effective June 19, 2023.

In addition to the legally mandated holidays listed, a college may close on March 31, known as “Farmworkers Day,” and the fourth Friday in September, known as “Native American Day,” if the district’s governing board district agrees to close the college for that purpose. When “Farmworkers Day” falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the agreed-upon college closure day shall occur on the preceding Friday or succeeding Monday, respectively. If “Farmworkers Day” happens to fall on a weekday, there is no flexibility to move the corresponding holiday observance. The district shall continue to maintain the minimum required 175 days of instruction. If the district does not close for “Farmworkers Day” or “Native American Day,” appropriate observances should be held in commemoration.

Assembly Bill 1801 (Nazarian, Chapter 761, Statues of 2022) modified Education Code section 79020 adding an additional optional holiday for community colleges. Effective January 1, 2023, community colleges may close on April 24, known as “Genocide Remembrance Day”, if the district’s governing board agrees to close the college for that purpose. Effective January 1, 2024, Assembly Bill 264 (Ting, Chapter 517, Statutes of 2023) also modified Education Code section 79020 to allow districts to observe Lunar New Year if the district’s governing board agrees to close the college for that purpose. If the district elects to observe Lunar New Year, this holiday must replace Lincoln Day or Washington Day on the districts academic calendar. If Lunar New year falls on another holiday, the community college would observe it on the preceding or following weekday. This change would be optional. 

Please contact Natalie Wagner, Specialist of Fiscal Planning and Administration at NWagner@CCCCO.edu or Rafael Artiga Meza, Community College Fiscal Specialist at RArtiga@CCCCO.edu for holiday or academic calendar configuration questions. 

Legally Mandated Academic Holidays

Education Code section 79020 requires community colleges to be closed on the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day (January 1)
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January)
• Lincoln Day (February 12)
• Washington Day (third Monday in February)
• Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
• Juneteenth (June 19)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day (first Monday in September)
• Veterans Day (November 11)
• Thanksgiving Day (date proclaimed by US President)
• Christmas Day (December 25)

Optional Academic Holidays

• Diwali (15th day of the month of Kartik in Hindu Lunar calendar)
• Lunar New Year (Replace with either Lincoln Day or Washington Day)
• Farmworkers Day (March 31)
• Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24)
• Native American Day (Fourth Friday in September)

Generally, if any of these dates falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or Monday, respectively. However, Education Code section 79020 provides specific allowances for observance flexibility which is reflected in the following schedules for Veterans Day and Lincoln Day depending on the day of the week on which these holidays fall.

Fiscal Year 2025-26

Fiscal Year 2026-27

Fiscal Year 2027-28

Fiscal Year 2028-29

Fiscal Year 2029-30

Fiscal Year 2030-31