The short answer
For federal workers and federal offices, yes: MLK Day is on the statutory holiday list, and OPM's holiday fact sheet repeats the third-Monday-in-January observance. For public schools, the honest answer is "usually, but check the district." The federal list does not, by itself, rewrite every local school calendar.
Columbus Day what's open maps federal-holiday closures.
In 2026 the holiday falls on Monday, January 19. That is the date federal offices mark. Whether the elementary school down the street is dark that Monday is a separate question answered by state education law and the board-approved calendar.
Federal holiday does not equal automatic school closure
5 U.S.C. §6103(a) names the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a legal public holiday. That statute governs federal pay and leave rules for covered employees. It is not a nationwide school-closure order.
Aggregators that treat every federal holiday as a guaranteed K-12 day off overstate the law. Districts balance instructional-day minimums, staff development, and local tradition. Some stay open on lighter federal observances; many still close for MLK Day because state law or board policy says so.
Where state law does require schools to close
| Authority | What it requires for MLK Day |
|---|---|
| 5 U.S.C. §6103(a) | Federal legal public holiday, third Monday in January; applies to federal offices/employees under title 5 rules |
| California Education Code §37220 | Public schools shall close on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January, with a limited alternative week wording in the statute) |
| Nevada NRS 236.015 | Public schools must close on the legal holidays listed, including MLK Day observed the third Monday in January |
| Districts in other states | Follow the local board calendar unless a state statute like the examples above applies |
California's statute even requires commemorative exercises on the Friday before the closure. That is state education policy layered on top of the federal holiday name, not something §6103 itself demands of schools.
How to verify your district
Open the school district's published academic calendar (PDF or board portal) and look for Martin Luther King Jr. Day or the third Monday in January. City 311 pages and state education holiday digests help for large districts, but the board calendar is the authority parents actually use for childcare planning.
Private, charter, and parochial schools are separate again. They may mirror the public calendar, close for a different civil-rights observance, or keep a normal Monday.