A snow day is a day when schools close because snow, ice or extreme cold makes travel or buildings unsafe for students and staff.

How the decision gets made

The call is local, normally made by the district superintendent in the early morning. The questions behind it are practical:

  • Can buses safely run every route, including rural and hilly ones?
  • Will roads be plowed and treated before pickup times?
  • Are wind chills dangerous for students waiting at bus stops?
  • Do buildings have heat and power?

Snowfall totals alone don’t decide it. Timing matters: 4 inches overnight in a district with a big plow fleet may cause no closure, while an inch of freezing rain at 6 a.m. can close schools across a region. Our research on snow day thresholds looks at how much snow different regions tolerate, and the snow day calculator turns a forecast into a closure estimate. Some states get their own version, for example Michigan.

Make-up days

States set minimum instructional time for the school year, so districts usually pad the calendar with a few emergency days. Use more than that and the extra days come back as make-up days in June or during breaks. Families watching the countdown can check days until summer.

Remote learning days

Since 2020, many districts can switch a closure into a remote learning day, where students log in or complete assigned work at home. Whether that day counts toward required instructional time depends on state rules, which vary. Our state pages collect school rules and calendars by state.

A traditional snow day means no school at all; a remote day means school at home. Ask your district which one a closure will be before the season starts.

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Frequently asked questions

Who decides if there is a snow day?
Usually the district superintendent, often before 6 a.m., after transportation staff check road conditions and talk with local road crews, weather services and neighboring districts. The key question is whether buses can run safely.
Do snow days have to be made up?
Often, yes. States require a minimum amount of instructional time each year, so districts build a few spare days into the calendar. Once those are used up, missed days are usually added at the end of the year or taken from breaks, unless state rules allow remote learning to count.