It's almost that time of the year again! The holiday season means spending time with family and friends, eating a lot of good food, and school being out for a few weeks. Even fictional schools will be headed on a fall break! Abbott Elementary will soon close its doors for the fall, and then again for the year, as some extended breaks are on their way for the hit series.
The official Abbott Elementary Instagram account revealed that following the airing of season 5 episode 6, "No Phones," on Wednesday, Nov. 5, there will be no new episodes for at least three weeks. ABC won't be airing a new episode of Abbott Elementary season 5 for the two weeks before Thanksgiving, and the show will also be on hiatus on the Wednesday before the holiday.
ABC also revealed a slew of holiday programming and new midseason finale dates, and that includes Abbott Elementary season 5. The Emmy winning comedy will air its final episode of 2025 on Wednesday, Dec. 10 with an episode titled "Birthday." Janine celebrates turning 30 as Jacob organizes the school's winter show. What a way to end the year at Abbott!
Abbott Elementary returns with new episodes in January 2026
Currently, it's unclear whether Abbott Elementary will air a new episode on Dec. 3, the week before its schedule midseason finale. According to TV Time, an episode titled "Goofgirl" will air on Wednesday, Dec. 3, though ABC has not yet confirmed what's happening for the series between it's three-week break in November and the midseason finale on Dec. 10. Finger's crossed for another episode!
While we're heading into an extended break with Abbott Elementary season 5 in November, we'll also be going a few weeks without new episodes in December as well. Following the airing of the fall finale on Dec. 10 and its drop on Hulu on Dec. 11, Abbott won't air another new episode for the remainder of 2025. We'll have to wait until the new year for season 5 to resume.
Thankfully, we already know when school will be back in session, and it's not that long of a wait at all. Before even announcing when some of its shows would be heading into their midseason breaks, ABC went ahead and set 2026 return dates. Abbott Elementary season 5 picks back up with new episodes on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 at 8:30/7:30c following Shifting Gears season 2's return.
The fifth season is expected to once again contain a total of 22 episodes, which would keep it on the air through late April 2026. Beginning on Feb. 25, Abbott Elementary will be paired with the new reboot season of Scrubs, which will take over the timeslot held by Shifting Gears at 8/7c. Save for the few weeks the comedies will be on break, ABC's set to keep us laughing long into the new year!
Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c, streaming next day on Hulu.