Is There School on Election Day? Not in Chicago — CPS Is Closed Tuesday, and Illinois Makes It a Holiday
It is the No. 2 search in America this morning, and Chicago's answer is simple: no school on Tuesday. Chicago Public Schools is closed for the general election, Illinois treats Election Day as a state holiday, and many suburban districts close too — though the rule changes at the state line.
The question 'is there school on election day' sits at No. 2 on Google Trends' United States snapshot this morning, and in Chicago the answer is an uncomplicated no. Chicago Public Schools lists Tuesday, November 3 as 'No School, General Election Day' on its 2026-27 calendar — a full district holiday for the general election, observed in lieu of Veterans Day — making Tuesday the second straight day out for CPS families after Monday's parent-teacher conferences, when no students attend either.
Illinois is one of the states that make the choice for its districts. Election Day is not a federal holiday, but Illinois is among the states — alongside Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia — that declare it an official state holiday, where public offices close and many schools shut their doors, according to The Sun's Election Day schools guide, read this run. One reason so many districts close, in Illinois and elsewhere, is practical: school buildings double as polling places, and an Election Day crowd and a school day do not mix easily.
Suburban Cook County largely follows the same pattern, though each district sets its own calendar. Glenbrook District 225 in Glenview and Northbrook, for example, approved a 2026-27 calendar that treats the November 3 general election as a holiday and instead holds classes on October 12, Indigenous Peoples' Day, according to the district memorandum reported by The Oracle, the Glenbrook student newspaper. Families outside CPS should still check their own district's calendar — private and parochial schools set their own schedules — but for most Chicago-area public school students, Tuesday is a day off, and for their parents, one less obstacle between the morning routine and a polling place that is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
