HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee – STR's 2016-17 School Break Report shows two significant school holiday shifts and a wide variance in overall U.S. school calendars.

"It is important for hoteliers to understand how even a one- or two-day change in the start or end date of a school break can impact an entire week of demand," said Chris Klauda, STR's director of destination research. "We will see several important shifts this year, such as a more fragmented spring break, and it is critical to identify the specific break patterns of the markets feeding hotel business."

Key findings from the 2016-17 School Break Report include:

  • The start and end of the winter/Christmas holiday break will be pushed back by two days, resulting in 40% fewer students on break during the week before Christmas and 30% more students on break during the first week of January.
  • The Easter calendar shift from 27 March 2016 to16 April 2017 will result in a more drawn-out spring break season with some schools off in March and others in April.
  • The Presidents' Day break, which primarily affects public school districts, will beone week later compared to last year.
  • The start of the public school year ranges seven weeks from18 July to 8 September.
  • Public school end dates range almost eight weeks from4 May 2017 to 28 June 2017.
  • College/university calendars show later start dates compared with public school districts. Classes begin as early as1 August and as late as29 September.
  • The college/university window of end dates begins more than a week earlier than public school districts, ranging from23 April 2017 to 17 June 2017.
  • Public school districts and colleges/universities each have a 55-day range in end dates.

"Combining 2017 public school end dates and estimated 2017 public school start dates yields only three weeks (29 June-17 July) with all traditional school districts on summer vacation," Klauda said.

The School Break Report, a forward-looking tool used to plan for vacation hotel demand, includes information for more than 1,000 public school districts and 500 four-year universities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Licenses can be purchased by contacting [email protected].

About STR

STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.

Jeff Higley (STR)
VP, Digital Media & Communications
+1 (615) 824-8664 ext. 3318
STR