Taking children out of school for a family vacation is no longer an unusual choice for American parents. A new nationwide survey found that 67% of parents with school-age children have already done it, while another 24% would consider it — meaning roughly nine in 10 parents are open to traveling during the school term.
The finding matters because families are increasingly weighing airfare, hotel prices, crowds and weather against a few missed classroom days rather than automatically planning around spring break or summer.
Why are parents taking kids out of school for vacations?
Better prices and easier trips are driving the decision more than the school calendar.
The survey found parents’ leading reasons for traveling outside official school breaks were:
| Reason for traveling during school | Parents citing it |
|---|---|
| Better flight or hotel availability | 22% |
| Saving money | 19% |
| Avoiding extreme weather | 19% |
| Remote-work flexibility | 16% |
| Avoiding crowds | 16% |
The money threshold is especially revealing. 92% said they would consider taking a child out of school if doing so saved any amount of money, while 44% said savings of less than $1,000 could be enough to influence the decision.
Anyone who has compared a Tuesday flight with the same route on the first Saturday of spring break will understand the temptation. The difference is not always a small discount; for a family buying four tickets, shifting dates can change the entire trip budget.
Also read – Ranked: The Most Expensive Tourist Visas in the World
Is it OK to miss school for a family vacation?
A short trip and chronic absenteeism are not the same thing, but parents should check their child’s attendance record before booking.
The U.S. Department of Education’s guidance on chronic absenteeism generally defines it as missing 10% or more of the school year — around 18 days — for any reason, including excused absences. The department also warns that substantial missed classroom time can affect academic progress.
There is another detail parents should not overlook: school attendance policies are local. A vacation that one school records as an excused absence may be treated differently elsewhere.
Before paying for non-refundable tickets:
- Check the district attendance policy, not just the vacation calendar.
- Ask the teacher what lessons, tests or projects fall on those dates.
- Look at the child’s total absences for the year, including illness.
- Avoid weeks containing exams, presentations or major new material.
- Tell the school the real reason for the absence instead of inventing an illness.
That last point is worth mentioning because the survey found only 45% of parents tell schools directly that the absence is for a vacation. Another 18% describe it as a family or personal reason, while 7% say their child was sick.
Can travel really be educational for children?
Yes, but calling a trip “educational” does not automatically replace missed classroom instruction.
Among surveyed parents, 44% said missing several school days was worthwhile for meaningful family experiences, while 28% said travel can be as educational as classroom time.
Parents can make that argument stronger by building learning naturally into the trip rather than handing a child worksheets at the airport.
For example:
- Let them calculate a daily spending budget.
- Have them navigate a metro or railway map.
- Visit one museum connected to something studied at school.
- Ask them to order food or use basic phrases in the local language.
- Give younger children a small travel journal for observations.
These are ordinary travel moments, but they make geography, money, history and problem-solving tangible.
When is taking kids out of school for travel a bad idea?
Skip the school-term vacation when the academic cost is clearly larger than the travel benefit.
That usually means reconsidering if your child is already struggling academically, has accumulated substantial absences, is entering an exam period or would miss material that is difficult to make up independently.
Also remember the practical side of family travel. For international trips, the CDC recommends speaking with a healthcare professional or travel-medicine specialist at least a month before departure and ensuring children are current on routine and destination-specific vaccines.
What the 91% figure actually tells us
The survey shows a change in parent attitudes, not a rule that children should miss school to travel.
Omio commissioned Atomik Research to survey 1,000 U.S. parents with children ages 5 to 18 between July 30 and August 3, 2026. The reported margin of error was ±3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
For families, the useful takeaway is simpler: school dates are increasingly part of the travel calculation rather than an automatic barrier.
The smartest decision is not “school versus vacation.” It is whether the particular trip, savings and experience are worth the particular days your child would miss.
