Durham students get Oct 12 off for Thanksgiving, school closed Oct 26 for election

Students in Durham Region's two school boards get two Mondays off this month, according to the boards' published 2026-2027 school-year calendars. Monday, October 12 is Thanksgiving, a statutory school holiday for both the Durham District School Board (DDSB) and the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB), so schools are closed and no classes run that day.

The following Monday, October 26 — the date of Ontario's municipal elections — is a professional activity (PA) day for both boards. The DDSB lists October 26 as a Provincial Priority Day for all school staff at its elementary and secondary schools, and the DCDSB lists October 26 as a PA day for elementary and secondary schools. Students do not attend classes on PA days.

Scheduling a PA day on election day is common practice in Ontario: the DDSB says that in election years boards are often asked by the Ministry, regional governments and municipalities to consider aligning a PA day with election day, and the board tries to accommodate such requests when they fit the calendar. The DCDSB's approved 2026-2027 calendar includes the October 26 PA day for all of its schools.