Catholic Schools Week 2027 runs from Sunday, January 31 through Saturday, February 6, 2027. For one week, your parish, your families, your alumni and your neighbors are all looking at your school at the same time. It's the perfect week to let your students shine!
Each day of the week has its own theme from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and each theme points to a different kind of student event. Match your events to the themes, and the week practically plans itself!
Catholic Schools Week 2027 at a glance
NCEA has organized Catholic Schools Week since 1974. Every day carries a theme, and the theme is the easiest way to decide what fits where.
| Day | 2027 date | NCEA daily theme | A student event that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | January 31 | Celebrating your parish | Students serve as readers, greeters and choir at Mass, then host an open house |
| Monday | February 1 | Celebrating your community | An all-school service morning with a station for every grade |
| Tuesday | February 2 | Celebrating students | A student showcase, spirit day or reading celebration |
| Wednesday | February 3 | Celebrating the nation | Thank-you letters to local leaders and first responders |
| Thursday | February 4 | Celebrating vocations | A vocations panel with a priest, a religious sister and parishioners from different careers |
| Friday | February 5 | Celebrating faculty, staff and volunteers | Student-written thank-you notes and a staff appreciation assembly |
| Saturday | February 6 | Celebrating families | A family breakfast, grandparents' morning or family service project |
Start the week at Mass. Students can serve as lectors, greeters, gift bearers and choir members. Afterward, open the school doors for a short open house with student art on the walls and student tour guides at the door. A pancake breakfast in the parish hall gives parishioners with no child enrolled a warm reason to stop by and see what their parish school is up to.
NCEA's Monday theme centers on service to others, so it's a natural day for an all-school service morning. Give every grade its own station: cards for a nursing home, sandwiches for a shelter, letters to homebound parishioners, a campus clean-up. Every student is on campus on a Monday, so every child gets to take part.
Tuesday belongs to the kids! Plan something joyful that celebrates what students have accomplished this year:
NCEA asks schools to share the value of Catholic education with local, state and national leaders, to pray for the nation, and to recognize those who serve. Students can write thank-you letters to police officers, firefighters and veterans in your parish. Older grades can write to your state legislators about what their school means to them.
Invite a priest, a deacon, a religious sister or brother, and a few parishioners with very different jobs to talk about how they use their gifts. Keep it to a short panel or classroom visits. Middle schoolers especially love a Q&A where nothing is off limits (within reason!).
Every student writes one thank-you note to a teacher, a cafeteria worker, a custodian or a volunteer. Read a few out loud at a short assembly. It costs nothing, and staff will keep those notes for years.
Saturday is the one day with no class time to protect, so it's the day for the whole family. A family breakfast, a grandparents' morning, a family Mass or a family service project all fit. Grandparents, alumni and the family friend who works weekdays can all come on a Saturday.
NCEA also runs Discover Catholic Schools Week, November 15 to 21, 2026. This week is built for families who are choosing a school, so the events look different: open houses, student-led tours, classroom showcases and shadow days.
Student ambassadors do more for an open house than any brochure. Give a small group of seventh and eighth graders the tour route, a few talking points and one practice run. Visiting families always remember the kid who walked them around!
Catholic Schools Week is the biggest week, but your students deserve great moments all year. Print this calendar and bring it to your next Home and School Association meeting. Swap in whatever your school already loves.
| Month | Dates to plan around | Student events that fit |
|---|---|---|
| August | First all-school Mass, new class lists | Buddy-grade kickoff, welcome picnic, student ambassador training |
| September | Fall routines settle in | Field day, an Apex Fun Run or Obstacle Course, club launches, first service drive |
| October | The last open stretch before the holidays | Fall festival, book fair, grade-level showcase, walk-a-thon |
| November | Discover Catholic Schools Week (Nov 15-21). Advent begins Nov 29 | Student-led tours, open house, Veterans Day program, food drive |
| December | Advent, Christmas programs, break | Christmas concert, Advent prayer services, giving tree, caroling at a care home |
| January | Catholic Schools Week begins Jan 31 | Science fair, spelling bee, an Apex Glow Run in your gym, Catholic Schools Week preparation |
| February | Catholic Schools Week through Feb 6. Lent begins Feb 10 | Daily theme events (above), then Lenten service projects |
| March | Lent. Easter is March 28, 2027 | Student-led Stations of the Cross, collection drives, service day, spring musical |
| April | Easter season, spring testing | Field day, an Apex Remix glow dance party, art show, grandparents' day, spring concert |
| May | End-of-year events stack up | May crowning where your school keeps the custom, field day, Color Games or Apex Games for grades 6 to 8, eighth grade celebrations |
| June | Graduation and closing Mass | Eighth grade farewell, awards assembly |
| Your patronal feast day | Any month | All-school Mass, a schoolwide celebration, a service project tied to your patron |
Want to know which of these windows suit an event that raises money for your school, and which approvals you'll need first? Our guide to the best fundraisers for Catholic schools covers the approval steps, raffle rules and timing in detail.
Advent and Lent shape the Catholic school calendar more than any other weeks. In 2026-27, Advent begins November 29, 2026, Lent begins February 10, 2027, and Easter falls on March 28, 2027.
Lent is built around prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and almsgiving means giving to people in need. That's why many Catholic schools fill these seasons with service and prayer, and save events that raise money for the school itself for other weeks. Your pastor and principal set the rule at your school, so check with them early.
Student events that fit both seasons beautifully:
When students make the decisions (which cause, what goal, how to tell families), a service drive turns into real leadership practice. That's the part they remember for years.
Your audience is so much bigger than the car line. Parishioners with no child enrolled, alumni who still sit in the pews, and grandparents all care about your school. Student events are the easiest way to invite them in.
The best invitations go through the parish. The bulletin, an announcement after Mass and a personal invitation from your pastor reach people your school email list never will. Weekend events work best for this group. Get your dates on both the school calendar and the parish calendar, because they're usually two separate documents!
Catholic Schools Week 2027 runs from Sunday, January 31 through Saturday, February 6, 2027. NCEA schedules it from the last Sunday in January through the following Saturday every year.
NCEA's national theme for 2026 through 2029 is "Catholic Schools: Communities of Hope and Joy." Each day of the week also has its own theme: parish, community, students, nation, vocations, faculty and volunteers, and families.
Match each idea to the day's theme. Students can lead Mass on Sunday, serve the community on Monday and celebrate their own accomplishments on Tuesday. On Wednesday they write to leaders, on Thursday they meet people living out different vocations, on Friday they thank staff, and on Saturday they welcome families.
Discover Catholic Schools Week is NCEA's week for families who are choosing a school. In 2026 it runs November 15 to 21. Open houses, student-led tours and shadow days suit it best.
Yes. Service projects, collection drives for others and student-led prayer services are a natural fit for Lent. Many schools save events that raise money for the school itself for other seasons, so ask your pastor and principal what your school prefers.
NCEA reports that 22.2% of students in Catholic schools are not Catholic (2025-26). Write every invitation so it explains what will happen, how long it runs and what to bring. Every family should feel welcome walking through the door.
Catholic Schools Week hands you seven days of built-in reasons to celebrate your students, your staff, your parish and your families. We know seven days of events on top of a full school year is a lot on your plate, and you're already doing the hard part by planning ahead. Pick one idea per day, put the dates on both calendars, and let your students lead as much as they can.
If you'd love one big moment the whole school shares, like a Glow Run in January or a Fun Run after Easter, we'd be thrilled to help. Our daily leadership lessons are built on values that support faith formation and Catholic identity, and every student takes part, whatever their family is able to give. Tell us which weeks are open on your calendar and your local Apex team will build a plan around your school year.