When is Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher Appreciation Week 2027
Mon, May 3, 2027 – Fri, May 7, 2027
The first full week of May, Monday to Friday, with National Teacher Day on the Tuesday. That's in 211 days.
until Teacher Appreciation Week begins, in your time zone
Teacher Appreciation Week is a US observance in which students, families and communities thank the teachers in their schools. National PTA has designated a week in May for it since 1984, and the NEA marks National Teacher Day on its Tuesday.
About Teacher Appreciation Week
The week is a school-community event more than a national ceremony. Parent-teacher groups organize notes, breakfasts and small gifts, students write letters, and teachers' unions and education groups use the week to talk about pay, class sizes and support for the profession.
National PTA says it has set aside one week in May to honor teachers since 1984. It publishes the dates, a theme and free materials each year; recent weeks it has announced were May 8 to 12, 2023, May 6 to 10, 2024, May 5 to 9, 2025, and May 4 to 8, 2026, the school days of the first full week of May. For 2027, PTA lists May 2 to 8, the whole Sunday-to-Saturday week. The Monday-to-Friday dates on this page follow the same week.
National Teacher Day has a longer and less tidy history. The National Education Association (NEA) has described its origins as murky, crediting Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge with writing to political and education leaders from around 1944 to ask for a national day for teachers. After lobbying by the NEA and its Kansas and Indiana affiliates, Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. The NEA kept a March date until 1985, when its Representative Assembly voted to move National Teacher Day to the Tuesday of the first full week of May, lining it up with the PTA week.
Teacher Appreciation Week is separate from World Teachers' Day, the international observance on October 5. It is not a public holiday, and schools stay open.
Sources: National PTA: Teacher Appreciation Week, National PTA: Teacher Appreciation Week 2025 page (archived April 2025), National Education Association: National Teacher Day History (archived 2013). How we check dates.
How to mark Teacher Appreciation Week
- Help your child write a specific thank-you note about a lesson, project or moment they remember.
- Ask the teacher or the school's parent group what classroom supplies are actually needed before buying anything.
- Volunteer an hour to cover a lunch or recess duty so teachers get a real break.
- Write to a former teacher who made a difference for you, even years later.
- Thank the whole school staff, including aides, librarians, counselors and substitute teachers.
- Attend a school board meeting to learn how decisions about teacher pay and class sizes are made.
Teacher Appreciation Week dates
| Year | Dates |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Mon, May 5 – Fri, May 9 |
| 2026 | Mon, May 4 – Fri, May 8 |
| 2027 | Mon, May 3 – Fri, May 7 |
| 2028 | Mon, May 8 – Fri, May 12 |
| 2029 | Mon, May 7 – Fri, May 11 |
| 2030 | Mon, May 6 – Fri, May 10 |
| 2031 | Mon, May 5 – Fri, May 9 |
Also on May 3
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Frequently asked questions
When is Teacher Appreciation Week 2027?
Teacher Appreciation Week 2027 is Mon, May 3, 2027 – Fri, May 7, 2027. It falls on the first full week of May, Monday to Friday, with National Teacher Day on the Tuesday. In 2028, it is on Monday, May 8, 2028.
When is National Teacher Day?
National Teacher Day is the Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week of May. The NEA's Representative Assembly set that date in 1985.
Who started Teacher Appreciation Week?
National PTA has designated a week in May to honor teachers since 1984. The NEA moved National Teacher Day to the Tuesday of that week in 1985.
Is Teacher Appreciation Week the same as World Teachers' Day?
No. Teacher Appreciation Week is a US observance in early May, while World Teachers' Day is the international observance on October 5 led by UNESCO.
Is Teacher Appreciation Week a public holiday?
No. Teacher Appreciation Week is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.