Why public schools are closed on Veterans Day in NC, but not in some states
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- North Carolina law mandates Veterans Day closure for 1.5 million public students.
- Neighboring states allow schools to hold classes to meet instructional hours.
- Schools hold local observances and honor veterans during November awareness.
Veterans Day is both a federal and state holiday and a school holiday for North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.
A longstanding state law requires Veterans Day to be a holiday for North Carolina public school personnel and public school students. While many schools around the nation will be closed on Tuesday in observance of Veterans Day, some students in states neighboring North Carolina will have a regular school day.
Here’s a look at how North Carolina handles observance of the holiday.
Only holidays where school not allowed
North Carolina state law recognizes several legal public holidays, including less observed ones like Greek Independence Day and Confederate Memorial Day.
But Veterans Day is the only holiday required under state statute for public schools to be closed. This means classes can be held on holidays like Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day, although many schools try to hold a teacher workday those days.
The no-school rule on Veterans Day applies only to traditional North Carolina public schools. Charter schools are not subject to the requirement.
State law also bars public schools from holding classes on Sundays.
Even though schools are closed on Veterans Day, schools typically hold events around the holiday to honor veterans. Under state law, schools are supposed to recognize November as Veterans’ History Awareness Month.
School allowed on Veterans Day
It’s unclear how many states ban schools from being open on Veterans Day. But it’s not universal.
Neighboring states such as Virginia and South Carolina allow classes to be held on Veterans Day. Schools give various reasons for why they’re not canceling classes on the holiday.
In York County in Virginia, the school district says holding classes on Veterans Day will help them meet state requirements for instructional days and hour requirements.
South Carolina state law requires public schools to spend at least one hour of instruction on Veterans Day honoring veterans. Schools that choose to close on Veterans Day are supposed to have the school observance the following day.
History of Veterans Day
Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I. Hostilities ceased on Nov. 11, 1918 on the 11th hour of the day.
In 1938, Congress officially made it a legal holiday. In 1954, Congress renamed the holiday as Veterans Day to honor all U.S. military veterans.
North Carolina was home to 615,440 veterans as of 2023, representing 7.3% of the state's population, according to the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
“North Carolina observes our storied history of supporting the United States military, a legacy stretching back to before the founding of our nation; we are proud to be the home of more than one million active-duty military service members, veterans, and their families,” according to Gov. Josh Stein’s Veterans Day proclamation.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Why public schools are closed on Veterans Day in NC, but not in some states."
