Chicago schools slammed for delayed calendar, encouraging student attendance at DNC

Chicago's school district is facing criticism for delaying the academic year start by a week — with detractors arguing that it's a politically motivated move. Students were regularly scheduled to return to school on Monday.

The School Year 2025 (SY25) calendar published by the district depicted 176 full-student-attendance days, beginning Monday and ending June 12, 2025. In its reasoning for the delay, the district cited the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and its estimated 75,000 visitors drawn to the city.