A regular possession weekend can disappear from the calendar when it overlaps with a school holiday or designated summer period. That’s why a printed calendar alone isn’t enough for planning in 2027.
A Texas possession calendar gives Austin parents a useful starting point, but it doesn’t override the signed court order. For custody disputes in Travis County, the language governing exchanges, notice requirements, and school breaks determines the schedule.
Start with the Order That Applies to Your Family
Your signed possession order controls, even if an online calendar shows different dates or times. Texas law provides a Standard Possession Order as a baseline, but a judge or agreed order can establish different exchange locations, expanded times, holiday terms, or provisions tailored to a child’s needs.
Texas uses conservatorship terms rather than the labels many parents use in everyday conversation. A managing conservator has the rights and duties set out in the order, which often include the right to determine the child’s primary residence. A possessory conservator generally has scheduled periods of possession and access.
The statutory schedule also depends on the distance between the parents’ homes. Texas Family Code Sections 153.312 and 153.313 establish separate schedules for local and long-distance arrangements. When the parents live 50 miles or less apart, an expanded schedule with earlier pickups and later returns may apply under the order or applicable statute.
Before adding dates to a family calendar, compare:
- The signed order and any later modification.
- The child’s school calendar and actual dismissal dates.
- Written-notice deadlines for summer and any order-specific elections.
Holiday and designated summer provisions generally take priority over a conflicting regular weekend or Thursday period. Marking every first, third, and fifth weekend without applying those exceptions can create avoidable conflict.
Mark the Regular 2027 Possession Dates
For parents living 100 miles or less apart, the statutory baseline provides possession from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Sunday on the first, third, and fifth weekends of each month. It also provides Thursday possession from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the regular school term. Because an order may use expanded times, follow its stated pickup and return provisions.
These are the regular Friday starting dates to identify before applying holiday and summer exceptions:
- January through June: January 1, 15, and 29; February 5 and 19; March 5 and 19; April 2, 16, and 30; May 7 and 21; June 4 and 18.
- July through December: July 2, 16, and 30; August 6 and 20; September 3 and 17; October 1, 15, and 29; November 5 and 19; December 3, 17, and 31.
These dates aren’t a final possession list. January 1, for example, falls within the 2026-2027 winter school vacation, so the holiday provision takes precedence over the regular first-Friday weekend. Apply the same review whenever a listed weekend falls within a school break or properly designated summer period.
Apply Holiday Possession Before Regular Weekends
In 2027, an odd-numbered year, the managing conservator has spring break possession under the statutory rotation. The period begins when school dismisses for spring break and ends at 6 p.m. on the day before classes resume.
The available Austin ISD 2026-2027 calendar lists spring break from March 15 through March 19, 2027. Exact exchange times depend on the school’s dismissal and return schedule. The regular weekend beginning March 19 doesn’t replace this holiday period.
Thanksgiving and Christmas follow a different odd-year rotation:
- Thanksgiving: The parent with scheduled possession receives the period beginning at school dismissal before the break and ending at 6 p.m. the following Sunday.
- Christmas: The managing conservator receives the first half of the Christmas school vacation, from dismissal to noon on December 28. The other parent receives the second half, from noon on December 28 to 6 p.m. on the day before school resumes.
Check Austin ISD’s final 2027-2028 calendar before assigning exact Thanksgiving and Christmas exchange dates. The 2026-2027 calendar doesn’t establish when school dismisses or resumes for breaks late in 2027.
Some special days override the normal rotation regardless of the year. The mother receives possession from 6 p.m. on the Friday before Mother’s Day through 6 p.m. on Mother’s Day, and the father receives the equivalent period for Father’s Day. A parent who isn’t otherwise entitled to possession on the child’s birthday receives a two-hour period from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., subject to the pickup and return terms in the statute or order.
Track Summer Deadlines & Long-Distance Rules
Summer dates are often determined months before school ends. Under the local schedule, the possessory conservator can select 30 days of extended summer possession in up to two periods of at least seven consecutive days by providing written notice by April 1.
Without timely notice, the default is 30 consecutive days from 6 p.m. July 1 through 6 p.m. July 31. The other parent may select one weekend during that period by providing written notice by April 15, with pickup and return at the same location.
Keep a copy of every summer notice and proof of delivery. The order may require delivery by email, text message, parenting application, certified mail, or another method. A verbal discussion doesn’t create the same record.
Parents living farther apart should check the long-distance provisions rather than rely on the local schedule. When the relevant residence is more than 100 miles from the child’s primary home, the default summer period is 42 consecutive days from 6 p.m. June 15 through 6 p.m. July 27, unless timely written notice designates different dates under Texas Family Code Section 153.313.
Address a Schedule That No Longer Works
Calendar coordination and a custody modification are different issues. Parents can often resolve a one-time conflict in writing, but an informal arrangement that repeatedly replaces the court-ordered schedule can create confusion when circumstances change or conflict increases.
A Texas court may modify conservatorship, possession, or access if the change is in the child’s best interest and circumstances have materially and substantially changed since the current order was rendered. Relocation, a child’s changing needs, and new parental circumstances are common reasons to revisit a schedule.
Mediation gives parents a structured setting to address recurring exchange problems, school-calendar mismatches, or proposed changes without immediately asking a court to decide every detail. Any agreement must still be drafted and finalized correctly to create an enforceable arrangement.
Use the Calendar, Order & Notices Together
Build your 2027 Texas possession calendar from the signed order, then account for the child’s school schedule, holiday priority, and timely summer notices. Review those records before booking travel, arranging childcare, or telling a child where a particular break will be spent.
