The status shown on a district calendar page describes the source available for that school year. It helps families judge whether dates are ready for ordinary planning or still require extra caution.
The label does not change the meaning of a date. A first day is still a first day, and a break is still a break. The label explains how firmly the district has published or adopted the calendar behind those dates.
Official calendar
An official page is based on calendar material published by the school district. The source may be a board-approved calendar PDF, a district calendar page, a district-issued calendar file, or another district-hosted document that clearly identifies the school year and schedule.
Official does not mean that a calendar can never change. Districts may revise calendars after approval because of weather closures, emergency conditions, board action, or a corrected publication. The official label means the page reflects a district-published calendar source available when the page was reviewed.
Families can normally use official dates for routine planning, but important travel, childcare, attendance, or custody decisions should still be checked against the current district source.
Draft calendar
A draft page is based on a version that the district has published but has not clearly identified as finally adopted. Draft calendars may contain language such as:
- Draft
- Proposed
- Option A or Option B
- Board approval pending
- Approval date to be determined
Draft dates are useful because they show the district's current plan, but they may change before adoption. A draft page should not be presented as final merely because the file appears on a district website.
When a final version becomes available, the draft source should be replaced and the page reviewed again.
Projected calendar
A projected page contains an estimate rather than a district-published calendar for that school year. Projected dates may be based on a clearly stated planning method, such as a recurring weekday pattern, but they are not official district dates.
Projected pages require the most caution. They should be clearly labeled, should explain the basis of the estimate, and should be replaced as soon as the district publishes an actual calendar.
Pennsylvania School Calendar does not treat an unlabeled third-party calendar, search-result snippet, or copied file on an unrelated website as an official district source.
Why status and update date both matter
Status answers one question: What kind of source supports this page?
The update date answers another: When was this page last reviewed or revised?
An older official calendar can be less useful than a recently reviewed official calendar if the district has since published an amendment. That is why district pages also link to the official calendar area whenever possible.
What families should do
For an official page, use the dates for planning and verify critical dates with the district before making nonrefundable arrangements.
For a draft page, expect that one or more dates may change before final approval.
For a projected page, treat every date as provisional until the district publishes its own calendar.
If a district releases a newer source, send the district name, school year, and official link through the contact page so the calendar page can be reviewed.