Key Takeaways
- The week of 15 March 2027 is the college peak. 15 of the 27 large universities we checked have no classes from Monday 15 to Friday 19 March.
- School districts peak a week later. 6 of 13 big districts we checked break 22 to 26 March, the week before Easter (28 March 2027).
- Easter is early in 2027, so very few breaks fall in April. New York City public schools are the big exception: 22 to 30 April, around Passover.
- Book flights in mid to late January. Google Flights' October 2026 data puts the lowest spring break fares about 50 days before departure.
- Puerto Rico needs no passport for US citizens. Cancún, Punta Cana and Nassau do, and domestic flights need a REAL ID or another TSA-accepted ID.
Spring break 2027 runs mostly from 8 to 26 March. Of 27 large US universities whose official 2026-27 calendars we read, 15 break the week of 15 March, 8 the week of 8 March and 3 the week of 22 March. Big school districts lean later: 6 of 13 break 22 to 26 March, just before Easter on 28 March.
That split matters if you are booking. College crowds and family crowds hit beach towns in different weeks in 2027, and the cheapest flights show up about seven weeks out. Below is the full calendar table, then nine classic spring break destinations with March weather, distance from the big hubs and the documents you need.
Plan your spring break trip with Navoy and get an itinerary built around your exact break dates.
When is spring break 2027?
For most college students, spring break 2027 is Monday 15 to Friday 19 March. That is the week 15 of the 27 big universities we checked chose. Early breakers go 8 to 12 March, quarter-system schools such as UCLA and the University of Washington go 22 to 26 March, and Florida International University goes first, 1 to 7 March.
We read each university's own registrar calendar for 2026-27 (verified 6 October 2026). The dates below are the weekdays with no classes; some schools count the surrounding weekends too.
| Week of no classes | Universities (27 checked) | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 March | Florida International | 1 |
| 8 to 12 March | Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, UNC Chapel Hill, LSU (tentative) | 8 |
| 15 to 19 March | Clemson (proposed), Florida, Florida State, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, NYU, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCF, USC, UT Austin | 15 |
| 22 to 26 March | UCLA, University of Washington, UW-Madison | 3 |
Two schools fall outside the table. Brigham Young University has no spring break in its winter semester, and the University of Alabama's academic calendar did not yet show spring 2027 when we checked (its HR holiday schedule lists 20 to 28 March). LSU marks its break as tentative and Clemson's calendar is titled "proposed", so check those two again before you pay for anything.
Our count: 15 of 27 (56%) break the week of 15 March, and 23 of 27 (85%) are off at some point between 8 and 19 March.
When do school districts have spring break in 2027?
Later than colleges. Of 13 large public school districts whose official 2026-27 calendars we read, 6 break Monday 22 to Friday 26 March, the week before Easter. Three break 15 to 19 March, Houston breaks 8 to 12 March, and three go after Easter or later, led by New York City at 22 to 30 April.
| Week of no classes | School districts (13 checked) | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 March | Houston ISD | 1 |
| 15 to 19 March | Clark County (Las Vegas), Dallas ISD, Orange County (Orlando) | 3 |
| 22 to 26 March | Broward, Chicago, Fairfax County, Hillsborough (Tampa), Miami-Dade, Palm Beach | 6 |
| 29 March to 2 April | Wake County (traditional calendar) | 1 |
| 5 to 9 April | Gwinnett County | 1 |
| 22 to 30 April | New York City Public Schools | 1 |
Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, and most of the Florida districts we checked take the week just before it. Several districts that break earlier still close on Good Friday, 26 March. New York City times its break around Passover, which starts at sundown on 21 April 2027.
For parents, this means the week most big districts share, 22 to 26 March, comes one week after the college peak. If you can choose your week, that gap is worth knowing.
When should you book spring break 2027 flights?
About 50 days before you fly. Google Flights' October 2026 analysis of five years of fares says spring break prices hit their low 50 days before departure, within a low range of 29 to 64 days. For a Saturday 13 March departure, that points to around 22 January, and no later than 12 February.
| You leave on | Lowest-price point (50 days out) | Low-price range (64 to 29 days out) |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 6 March | Friday 15 January | 1 January to 5 February |
| Saturday 13 March | Friday 22 January | 8 January to 12 February |
| Saturday 20 March | Friday 29 January | 15 January to 19 February |
The dates in the table are our arithmetic on Google's figures, published 5 October 2026. They are averages, not a promise for your route, but they say one useful thing clearly: booking in October or November does not usually buy you a lower fare for March, and waiting until late February usually costs you. We cover the January booking rush in more detail in our guide to the January flight booking peak.
Search spring break flights on Navoy.
Where should you go for spring break 2027?
For the warmest March weather, go south: Cancún, Punta Cana and San Juan all average highs of about 83 to 86°F. Miami, the Florida Keys, Nassau and South Padre sit near 80°F. Panama City Beach and Myrtle Beach are closer to much of the country, but cooler, at about 72°F and 65°F.
| Destination | Avg March high | Avg March water | Miles from NYC / Chicago / Dallas | What US citizens need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún, Mexico | 85.8°F | not published | 1,560 / 1,450 / 1,030 | Passport book (by air) |
| Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 82.6°F | not published | 1,560 / 1,980 / 2,030 | Passport (6 months' validity) + free e-Ticket form |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | 84.7°F | not published | 1,600 / 2,070 / 2,160 | No passport: REAL ID or other TSA ID |
| Miami, Florida | 80.6°F | 75.7°F | 1,090 / 1,200 / 1,120 | REAL ID or other TSA ID |
| Key West, Florida Keys | 79.6°F | 75.9°F | 1,200 / 1,250 / 1,090 | REAL ID or other TSA ID |
| Nassau, Bahamas | 80.1°F | not published | 1,100 / 1,310 / 1,300 | Passport |
| South Padre Island, Texas | 80.6°F (Brownsville) | 68.5°F (Port Isabel) | 1,690 / 1,240 / 480 | REAL ID or other TSA ID |
| Panama City Beach, Florida | 72.3°F | 64.8°F | 980 / 810 / 680 | REAL ID or other TSA ID |
| Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 64.7°F (North Myrtle Beach) | not published | 560 / 750 / 1,050 | REAL ID or other TSA ID |
Air temperatures are long-term March averages: NOAA 1991-2020 normals for the US stations, and the national weather services of Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas (via the World Meteorological Organization, older 1961-1990 or 1971-2000 averages) for the rest. Water temperatures are NOAA coastal averages where a station exists. Distances are straight-line miles between JFK, O'Hare or DFW and the nearest main airport (Brownsville for South Padre), so real flying distances run a little longer.
Cancún
The warmest pick on the list at an average March high of 85.8°F, and the shortest international hop from Texas. You need a passport book to fly into Mexico; a passport card is not accepted for air travel.
Cancún's Hotel Zone is the classic college choice, and Playa del Carmen and Tulum sit within driving distance if you want something quieter. If you are weighing Tulum, read what changed there in 2026 first. Find hotels in Cancún or search flights to Cancún.
Punta Cana
All-inclusive resort country, averaging 82.6°F in March. US citizens need a passport valid for six months from arrival, per the State Department, and must fill in the Dominican Republic's free electronic e-Ticket form for entry and for exit.
The form is free on the government's own site, so ignore third-party sites that charge for it. Find hotels in Punta Cana or search flights to Punta Cana.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean without a passport. Puerto Rico is a US territory, so flights from the mainland are domestic: you need a REAL ID-compliant license or another TSA-accepted ID, nothing more. March highs average 84.7°F.
That makes it the easiest pick for a group where not everyone has a passport. Find hotels in San Juan or search flights to San Juan.
Miami and the Florida Keys
Miami averages 80.6°F in March and Key West 79.6°F, with water near 76°F at both, the warmest of the US spots where NOAA publishes a figure. Both are domestic flights, so a REAL ID or other accepted ID is all you need.
Key West has its own airport, or you can drive down the Overseas Highway from Miami. Find hotels in Miami, find hotels in Key West, or search flights to Miami.
Nassau, Bahamas
About 1,100 miles from New York, closer than Cancún or San Juan, with March highs around 80°F. US citizens need a passport valid for the length of the stay and a return or onward ticket.
Find hotels in Nassau or search flights to Nassau.
South Padre Island, Panama City Beach and Myrtle Beach
The drive-to classics. South Padre is warm (80.6°F at nearby Brownsville) and only 480 miles from Dallas. Panama City Beach (72.3°F) and Myrtle Beach (64.7°F) are cooler, and Panama City Beach bans alcohol on the sand for the whole of March.
The Panama City Beach ordinance has applied every March since 2016 and covers everyone on the sand, not only students. Expect water around 65°F there in March. For all three, compare hotels on Navoy.
What ID do you need for spring break 2027?
For flights inside the US, including Puerto Rico, a REAL ID-compliant license or another TSA-accepted ID such as a passport. Without one, TSA's ConfirmID option costs $45 for a 10-day travel period and is not guaranteed to work. For Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, bring a passport book.
TSA started enforcing REAL ID on 7 May 2025 and added the $45 ConfirmID fee on 1 February 2026. If your license does not have the star marking, sort it out well before March.
One exception for cruisers: on a closed-loop cruise that leaves from and returns to the same US port, US citizens can visit Mexico with an original birth certificate plus a government photo ID instead of a passport. That does not apply if you fly.
How Navoy helps
Navoy is an AI travel agent that plans the trip around your exact break dates, then lets you book the hotels, flights and airport transfers in one place. Tell it your week, your budget and who is coming, and it builds the itinerary for you.
FAQ
Is spring break 2027 the same week for everyone?
No. Colleges cluster on 15 to 19 March, with a second group on 8 to 12 March. Big school districts lean toward 22 to 26 March, the week before Easter. New York City public schools break 22 to 30 April.
When is Easter 2027?
Sunday 28 March 2027. Good Friday is 26 March, a school holiday in many districts even when spring break falls earlier.
Do I need a passport for spring break in Puerto Rico?
Not if you are a US citizen flying from the mainland. Puerto Rico is a US territory, so a REAL ID-compliant license or another TSA-accepted ID is enough.
How far ahead should I book spring break flights?
Google Flights' October 2026 data puts the lowest spring break fares about 50 days before departure, within a range of 29 to 64 days. For a mid-March trip, that means booking in January or early February.
Sources
- University registrar calendars, 2026-27 (read 6 October 2026): Texas A&M, UT Austin, UCF, Ohio State, FIU, Penn State, Florida, Arizona State, Michigan, Rutgers, Florida State, Georgia, Minnesota, Illinois, UW-Madison, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, NYU, USC, UCLA, Texas Tech, Houston, UNC Chapel Hill, LSU, Clemson, University of Washington, BYU
- School district calendars, 2026-27: NYC Public Schools, Miami-Dade, Chicago, Clark County, Broward, Houston ISD, Hillsborough, Orange County, Fairfax County, Palm Beach, Gwinnett, Dallas ISD, Wake County
- US Census Bureau: Easter dates - Easter Sunday 28 March 2027
- Google: holiday travel trends, 5 October 2026 - spring break fares lowest 50 days out, range 29 to 64 days
- NOAA NCEI: US climate normals 1991-2020 - March highs for Miami, Key West, San Juan, Brownsville, Panama City and North Myrtle Beach
- WMO World Weather Information Service - March highs for Cancún (Mexico's national weather service), Punta Cana (Dominican Republic national weather office) and Nassau (Bahamas Department of Meteorology)
- NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide - March water temperatures
- TSA: REAL ID and TSA ConfirmID announcement - enforcement since 7 May 2025, $45 fee from 1 February 2026
- US State Department: Mexico, Dominican Republic, The Bahamas - entry requirements
- Dominican Republic e-Ticket (official) - free entry and exit form
- USA.gov: travel to US territories - no passport needed for Puerto Rico
- City of Panama City Beach: ordinances - no alcohol on the sandy beach from 1 to 31 March (Ordinance 1353, adopted 2015)
All figures verified 6 October 2026.
Related reading: The January flight booking peak · Cheapest day to book flights in 2026 · What happened to Tulum in 2026
Plan spring break around your real dates. Navoy builds the itinerary for your week, then lets you book the hotels, flights and airport transfers to match. Start your trip plan · Find hotels in Cancún · Search flights
About the Author
Ranym Garali
Ranym is the Marketing and Content Lead at Navoy. She's been writing about travel for two years and digs into the data behind each piece, flight prices, visa rules and what people are actually searching for , so the advice holds up in practice.
