Chicago Public Schools students have no classes on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, because CPS made Veterans Day a staff professional development day. Joliet Public Schools District 86 and Waukegan District 60 are also closed, while School District U-46 holds classes with a high school early release, all under a state law that leaves the decision to each district.

Key Takeaways

• CPS lists November 11 as a professional development day with no students, and gave its Veterans Day holiday to General Election Day on November 3.
• Joliet Public Schools District 86 lists Veterans Day as “No School,” and Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 lists the district as closed.
• School District U-46 is in session on November 11, with a high school early release.
• Illinois law names November 11 a legal school holiday but allows districts to hold school if they teach about veterans that day and first hold a public hearing.
• Tuesday, November 10, is Korean War Veterans’ Day in Illinois schools, a commemorative day when classes meet as usual.
• The Illinois Secretary of State lists its facilities as closed on November 11, and the U.S. Postal Service has no regular mail delivery.

CPS Moved Its Veterans Day Holiday to Election Day

Chicago Public Schools students will not be in class on Veterans Day, but the reason differs from past years. The 2026–27 CPS family calendar lists November 11 as one of the district’s professional development days, when teachers work and students stay home. The holiday itself moved: the calendar’s holiday list marks Tuesday, November 3, as “General Election observed in lieu of Veterans Day.”

For CPS families, that creates a busy stretch. Monday, November 2, is a parent-teacher conference day, which the calendar lists as a non-attendance day for students. Tuesday, November 3, is the Election Day holiday. Then Wednesday, November 11, is the professional development day. Students have three days off across two weeks, and each one has a different label.

Illinois Law Makes Veterans Day a School Holiday With an Exception

The variation across Illinois comes from Section 24-2 of the Illinois School Code. The law lists November 11, Veterans’ Day, among the state’s legal school holidays, along with days such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day. On those holidays, teachers and other school employees generally are not required to work, and the law bars districts from cutting employee pay because of a legal holiday.

The same section gives districts a way to use the day anyway. Subsection (b) allows a school board to hold school, or to schedule teachers’ institutes, parent-teacher conferences or staff development, on a short list of holidays that includes Veterans’ Day.

Two Conditions Districts Must Meet to Hold School

Section 24-2 sets two requirements for a district that uses Veterans Day for classes or staff work. First, the people honored by the holiday must be recognized through instructional activities that day, or on the nearest school day before or after it if students are not in attendance. Second, the district must hold a public hearing on the proposal before acting. Notice of that hearing has to go to both educators and parents, with the time, date and place, and the district must take testimony from both groups.

That framework explains why neighboring districts can give families different answers. One board may keep Veterans Day as a full closure, while another may hold classes or staff training after going through the hearing process.

Suburban Districts Land on Different Sides of the Rule

Several suburban districts are closing outright. Joliet Public Schools District 86 lists November 11 as “Veterans Day – No School” on its 2026–27 calendar. Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 lists Veterans Day as a day the district is closed, and it also closes on Election Day, November 3.

School District U-46, based in Elgin, holds classes on November 11. Its calendar marks the day as a high school early release, which is part of a recurring schedule that runs on alternating Wednesdays through the school year. U-46 used November 2 and 3 as institute days instead.

Because each district sets its own schedule, the only reliable answer for any family is the district’s current calendar.

Korean War Veterans’ Day Comes One School Day Earlier

Illinois schools also have a second veterans observance this week. Section 24-2 designates the school day immediately before Veterans’ Day as Korean War Veterans’ Day, one of the state’s commemorative holidays. In 2026, that is Tuesday, November 10.

Commemorative holidays are regular school days in Illinois, so classes meet as usual. The law asks school boards to include instruction about commemorated people and events, and it directs the Illinois State Board of Education to provide instructional materials districts can use.

State Offices and Mail Also Pause on November 11

Schools are not the only Illinois services affected. The Illinois Secretary of State lists its facilities, including driver services locations, as closed on November 11 for Veterans Day. The U.S. Postal Service also observes the federal holiday, with retail post offices closed and no regular mail delivery.

How Families Can Confirm Their District’s Schedule

Families outside the districts named here should check their own district’s 2026–27 calendar, which most Illinois districts post on their websites. Calendars use different labels for days without students, including “holiday,” “institute day,” “professional development day” and “non-attendance day,” but all of them mean students stay home. Districts that hold class on Veterans Day typically note it as a regular or early release day.

FAQs

Is there school in Chicago on Veterans Day 2026?

No. Chicago Public Schools lists Wednesday, November 11, 2026, as a professional development day with no students in school. CPS observed its holiday on Election Day, November 3.

Why are some Illinois schools open on Veterans Day?

Illinois law lets school boards hold classes on Veterans Day if they include instruction honoring veterans and first hold a public hearing with notice to educators and parents. Each district decides whether to use that option.

What is Korean War Veterans’ Day in Illinois schools?

It is a commemorative holiday on the school day before Veterans Day, which is Tuesday, November 10, in 2026. Classes meet as usual, and schools are expected to include related instruction.

Are Illinois DMV offices open on Veterans Day?

No. The Illinois Secretary of State lists its facilities as closed on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.