Chicago Public School District 299 Snow Day Predictor
The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Chicago, measured against Chicago's own big snow morning of 3.1 inches.
Will Chicago close tomorrow?
How Chicago calls a snow day
How families hear
By email, text message, phone call, the district website and social media.
“CPS contacts parents about school closings through emails, texts, and robocalls, which is why it’s so important that schools have up-to-date contact information for all families.”Weather Guidelines
5 built in snow days
On the 2026 to 2027 calendar, listed as “emergency days”.
“E Emergency day-school in session if student days fall below state requirement”Source
Making up a lost day
Emergency days in June after the June 11 last day, used only if student days fall below the state requirement.
Make up dates: Jun 15, Jun 16, Jun 17, Jun 21, Jun 22.
“E Emergency day-school in session if student days fall below state requirement”Source
The 2026 to 2027 calendar
- First day August 24, 2026
- Winter break Dec 21 to Jan 1
- Last day June 11, 2027
Read from Chicago’s own pages on October 8, 2026; the district site is cps.edu.
Chicago’s snow record
More 4 inch school mornings than 87% of the 788 Illinois districts with a station record.
- Biggest day 17.2 in on February 16, 2021
- Snowiest winter 2020 to 2021, 61.3 in
- 6 in mornings 0.2 a winter
- 1 in mornings 6.4 a winter
Measured at a NOAA weather station 8 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.
How Illinois counts a lost day
Illinois requires a calendar of at least 185 days to guarantee 176 days of actual student attendance, each of at least 5 clock hours. The extra calendar days are emergency days used first; after they are gone, the State Superintendent may excuse days lost to an act of God or a hazard beyond the district's control without cutting state aid.
The Illinois rules in the agency’s own words, and every Illinois district
Districts near Chicago
| District | Snow a winter | 4 in mornings |
|---|---|---|
| Cicero School District 99Cicero | 34.4 in | 1 |
| J. Sterling Morton High School District 201Cicero | 34.4 in | 1 |
| Oak Park Elementary School District 97Oak Park | 34.4 in | 1 |
| Oak Park and River Forest District 200Oak Park | 34.4 in | 1 |
| Berwyn South School District 100Berwyn | 27.5 in | 0.5 |
| Proviso Township High School District 209Forest Park | 27.5 in | 0.5 |
643 schools, the 40 largest here
Every school in Chicago follows the district’s call: one closing covers them all.
High
- Lane Technical High School
- Taft High School
- Curie Metropolitan High School
- Kenwood Academy High School
- Young Magnet High School
- Lincoln Park High School
- Jones College Prep High School
- Thomas Kelly College Preparatory
- Hubbard High School
- Mather High School
- Kennedy High School
- Von Steuben Metro Science HS
- Juarez Community Academy HS
- Amundsen High School
- Washington G High School
- Senn High School
- Lake View High School
- Lindblom Math & Science Acad HS
- Schurz High School
- Steinmetz College Prep HS
- Payton College Preparatory HS
- Solorio Academy High School
- Morgan Park High School
- Westinghouse High School
- Prosser Career Academy HS
- Roosevelt High School
- Noble St Chtr-Chicago Bulls Prep
- Simeon Career Academy High School
- Noble St Chtr-ITW Speer Acad
Elementary
- Disney Elem Magnet School
- Armstrong G Elem IntL Studies
- Edwards Elem School
- Dirksen Elem School
- Healy Elem School
- Stevenson Elem School
- Mount Greenwood Elem School
- Hanson Park Elem School
- Locke J Elem School
- Bridge Elem School
Other schools
- CICS - Longwood Campus
Chicago snow day questions
More for Illinois snow days
The odds are a forecast read, and the superintendent makes the call: the district’s own announcement is the one to follow.