School break camps in Palo Alto

Palo Alto's school year has more gaps than many parents expect. Beyond summer, there is a full week at Thanksgiving, two weeks over the winter holidays, a full week of spring break and several long weekends for local holidays and staff days. For working families, each one needs a plan. Break camps fill that gap, but there are fewer of them than in summer and they book up early.

This guide explains the 2026 to 2027 PAUSD calendar in general terms, then lists the break camps we could confirm in October 2026. Dates are from each organization's site. For the long summer stretch, see our summer camps guide.

The PAUSD calendar at a glance

The Palo Alto Unified School District sets the rhythm for most local families. Many private schools follow similar dates but not always the same ones. The district's official calendar is the source to check.

Two points catch newcomers out. PAUSD does not take a full February break, even though some other schools in the area do. And the district adds single local holidays, such as Friday, April 30, 2027, that create extra long weekends. Our month guides for February and April list them in context.

City of Palo Alto programs

The city's camps are built around summer. It does not publish a separate page for school break camps. Any break programs from Recreation, the Art Center, the Children's Theatre or the Junior Museum and Zoo appear in the seasonal Enjoy! catalog. In late October 2026 the JMZ listed summer camps and fall family classes but no winter or spring break camps.

The winter 2027 catalog opens for registration on December 3, 2026 at 10 a.m. for residents and December 10 for nonresidents. Register through Enjoy! Online, which now runs on CivicRec. Questions go to (650) 463-4949 or [email protected]. Our kids classes guide explains the system.

Spring break swim camp

Palo Alto Swim and Sport, the city's swim provider at Rinconada Pool, runs a spring break camp as well as its summer camps. Its summer camps take children 5 to 14 with a daily lesson, open swim and games. Check its site in winter for spring break dates. Our swimming pools guide covers the pool.

Hiller Aviation Museum camps

The Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos runs the most detailed break camp calendar we found. Its school year camps serve kindergarten to 5th grade and run full days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with check-in from 8:30 a.m. and extended care for some sessions. Groups are often mixed in age.

Registration for camps from January to August 2027 opens on January 1, 2027. Single-day camps also fall on many school holidays. See our kids museums guide for the museum itself.

Private and nonprofit camps

• Steve and Kate's Camp. Its break weeks page lists a Palo Alto November break camp at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, 450 San Antonio Road, from November 23 to 25. It also lists winter dates at other locations. Check its site for ages and day passes.
• YMCA of Silicon Valley. The Y runs school break camps across its branches. Ask the Palo Alto Family YMCA on Ross Road which breaks it covers.
• theCoderSchool. The coding school near California Avenue runs camps during school breaks for ages 7 to 16.
• Sports clubs. Soccer clubs and other youth sports groups sometimes run holiday clinics. See our youth sports guide.

A sample winter break plan

Winter break is the hardest stretch to cover, since many providers close over the holidays. Here is how the confirmed options lined up for December 2026, as a starting point for your own plan.

Classes resume in early January. Check the PAUSD calendar for the exact first day back.

Questions to ask any break camp

Break camps are short and often run by smaller teams than summer programs. A few questions up front save trouble later.

• Ages and grouping. Hiller, for example, notes that its school year camps often mix ages in one or two groups. Ask how a camp splits kindergartners from older children.
• Hours and extended care. Many camps run 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. Extended care, if offered, may cost extra and end at different times by session.
• Lunch. Ask whether children bring lunch and whether there is a fridge.
• Payment. City programs add a non-refundable 2.75% fee to card payments since August 2026. Private camps set their own fees and rules.
• Refunds. For city summer camps in 2026, withdrawals had to arrive two weeks before a camp started. Break camps may have even tighter rules, so read them before you pay.

How to plan the year

1. Mark the calendar in August. Put every PAUSD break and long weekend in your calendar when school starts.
2. Book winter break in the fall. The two December weeks have the fewest options and fill first.
3. Plan for the February gap. If your child is at a private school with a full ski week, camps such as Hiller's February session may help.
4. Mix and match. Many families combine a few camp days with a grandparent visit, a trip or a parent working from home.
5. Read refund policies. Break camps are short, so cancellation rules matter more than in summer.

Break days without a camp

Some families prefer to make breaks a time for outings. The Junior Museum and Zoo and the Winter Lodge ice rink are open on most winter break days, apart from a few holidays. The Hiller museum adds special events such as an Open Cockpit Day on December 26, 2026. For a bigger day, you can compare tickets for Bay Area museums and aquariums or browse family tours in San Francisco.

Frequently asked questions