Ridgefield School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: When does Ridgefield call a snow day?

Ridgefield announces closings every attempt to decide and communicate by 5:30 a.m, by its own published protocol.

Q: How long is a delayed start in Ridgefield?

2 hours: on a delay morning every school starts that much later.

Q: When is the last day of school for Ridgefield?

June 15, 2027, on the district’s 2026 to 2027 calendar.

Q: How much snow does Ridgefield get?

About 24.7 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 3.1 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 2.3 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.3 with 4 inches or more.

Q: How does the Ridgefield snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Ridgefield through the night and the 5 to 8 am bus run, adds winter alerts and the Winter Storm Severity Index, and measures the snow against Ridgefield’s own big snow morning: 4 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 3.1 miles away.

The next three school mornings

Will Ridgefield close tomorrow?

Reading the National Weather Service forecast for the overnight and the bus hours in Ridgefield.

The Ridgefield playbook

How Ridgefield calls a snow day

When the call comes

Every attempt to decide and communicate by 5:30 a.m.

“Every attempt will be made to make a decision and communicate by 5:30 a.m. to: Delay the start of school: may be 2 or 3 hours Close completely”

Source

How families hear

By the district website, social media, text message, phone call and email.

“Alert on RPS Website and social media by 5:45 a.m. Media postings by 6:00 a.m. Blackboard Connect message to staff/families via text, phone call, and email between 5:45-6:00 a.m.”

A 2 hour delay

On a delay morning every school starts 2 hours late.

“Ridgefield High School Start – 7:25 a.m. 2 hour delay – 9:25 a.m. 3 hour delay – 10:25 a.m.”

Delay schedule

The 2026 to 2027 calendar

First day August 27, 2026
Winter break Dec 24 to Jan 1
February break Feb 12 to Feb 19
Last day June 15, 2027

District calendar

The board policy

“An early morning regional conference call with Superintendents hosted by our weather service provider. A discussion with the Highway Department occurs to discuss local conditions and expectations for clearing roads.”

Board policy

Read from Ridgefield’s own pages on October 8, 2026; the district site is ridgefield.org.

Ten winters of school mornings

Ridgefield’s snow record

24.7inches of snow a winter

2.3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.3with 4 in or more

4 ina big snow morning in Ridgefield: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

0.3Nov

4.7Dec

7.7Jan

11.2Feb

0.8Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 14 in on February 23, 2026
Snowiest winter 2025 to 2026, 52.7 in
6 in mornings 0.6 a winter
1 in mornings 4.7 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 3.1 miles away. Mornings are the 7 am snow reading on a weekday from December 1 through March 31, over the ten winters from 2016 to 2017 through 2025 to 2026, from NOAA GHCN Daily.

The Connecticut rule

How Connecticut counts a lost day

Connecticut requires at least 180 days and 900 hours of actual school work, counting no more than 7 hours a day.

The Connecticut rules in the agency’s own words, and every Connecticut district

Next door

Districts near Ridgefield

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Wilton School DistrictWilton	31.8 in	1.4
Bethel School DistrictBethel	44.8 in	1.5
Weston School DistrictWeston	31.8 in	1.4
New Canaan School DistrictNew Canaan	31.8 in	1.4
Danbury School DistrictDanbury	44.8 in	1.5	5
Westport School DistrictWestport	29 in	1.8	5

The schools

9 schools

Every school in Ridgefield follows the district’s call: one closing covers them all.

High

Ridgefield High School

Middle

Scotts Ridge Middle School
East Ridge Middle School

Elementary

Barlow Mountain Elementary School
Ridgebury Elementary School
Branchville Elementary School
Scotland Elementary School
Farmingville Elementary School
Veterans Park Elementary School

Questions

Ridgefield snow day questions

When does Ridgefield call a snow day?

How does Ridgefield announce a snow day?

How long is a delayed start in Ridgefield?

When is the last day of school for Ridgefield?

How much snow does Ridgefield get?

How does the Ridgefield snow day predictor work?

How does Connecticut handle snow days?

More winter

More for Connecticut snow days

Snow day predictorClosing and delay odds for any ZIP, with the snowiest districts in the country.Snow depth mapHow much snow is on the ground right now, measured, across the country.First snow datesWhen the first measurable snow usually lands where you live.Frozen pipesThe nights cold enough to freeze a pipe, and what to do before one.Snow plow trackerWhere the plows are during a storm, city by city.Connecticut winter forecastThe season ahead for Connecticut: snowfall, cold and the first snow.

A residential street under deep snow on a bright blue morning, cars parked along the curb buried into smooth white mounds, one set of tire tracks down the middle — The morning after a big one: cars buried to the mirrors and one set of tracks down the middle. A street like this is a closing, no debate. Photo, Fairfax, Virginia, January 2016: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY 4.0

The odds are a forecast read, and the superintendent makes the call: the district’s own announcement is the one to follow.