With the official end of summer coming soon, some Western North Carolina schools have already reopened following summer break. Others have several more days of vacation.
In 2026, the dates on which Western N.C. schools reopen range from Aug. 3 at the earliest to Aug. 24 at the latest. More than 10 Western N.C. school districts have already opened their doors for the 2026 fall semester, with several more reopenings slated for the next several weeks.
Here's when Buncombe County, Asheville and other Western N.C. students at each public school district in the region must head back to class.
When is the first day of school at Buncombe County Schools?
Aug. 24 is the first day of school following summer break for a majority of the Buncombe County Schools district.
When is the first day of school at Western NC schools?
Here are the first day of school dates for other
Western N.C. schools:
- Avery - Aug. 19
- Cherokee - Aug. 3
- Clay - Aug. 24
- Graham - Aug. 17
- Haywood - Aug. 17
- Henderson - Aug. 12
- Jackson - Aug. 12
- Macon - Aug. 24
- Madison - Aug. 17
- McDowell - Aug. 24
- Mitchell - Aug. 17
- Polk - Aug. 10
- Rutherford - Aug. 11
- Swain - Aug. 17
- Transylvania - Aug. 24
- Watauga - Aug. 17
- Yancey - Aug. 17
What schools are in Asheville City? Buncombe County?
There are two districts in Buncombe County: Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools.
Buncombe County Schools:
- Avery’s Creek Elementary
- Barnardsville Elementary
- Black Mountain Elementary
- Black Mountain Primary
- Charles C. Bell Elementary
- Candler Elementary
- Emma Elementary
- Fairview Elementary
- Glen Arden Elementary
- Haw Creek Elementary
- Hominy Valley Elementary
- Johnston Elementary
- Leicester Elementary
- North Buncombe Elementary
- Oakley Elementary
- Pisgah Elementary
- Sand Hill-Venable Elementary
- W.D. Williams Elementary
- W. W. Estes Elementary
- Weaverville Elementary
- Weaverville Primary
- West Buncombe Elementary
- Woodfin Elementary
- Charles T. Koontz Intermediate
- Enka Intermediate
- Joe P. Eblen Intermediate
- North Windy Ridge Intermediate
- A.C. Reynolds Middle
- C.A. Erwin Middle
- C.D. Owen Middle
- Cane Creek Middle
- Enka Middle
- North Buncombe Middle
- Valley Springs Middle
- A.C. Reynolds High
- Clyde A. Erwin High
- Charles D. Owen High
- Enka High
- Martin L. Nesbitt Discovery Academy
- North Buncombe High
- T.C. Roberson High
- Buncombe County Early College (first day Aug. 13)
- Buncombe County Middle College (first day Aug. 13)
- Buncombe County Center for Career Innovation (first day Aug. 13)
- Progressive Education Program
Asheville City Schools:
- Claxton Elementary School
- Hall Fletcher Elementary School
- Ira B. Jones Elementary School
- Isaac Dickson Elementary School
- Lucy S. Herring Elementary School
- Asheville Middle School
- Asheville High School
- Montford North Star Academy
- School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Some Western NC students are back in school, but others still on vacation
