A winter weather advisory is causing widespread disruptions to school schedules across Massachusetts on Friday, March 6, 2026, with more than 30 districts announcing two-hour delays or full closures as a hazardous mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow makes road conditions dangerous for morning travel.
The National Weather Service office in Boston issued the advisory after ice accretion of up to 0.20 inches was recorded in higher elevations, particularly across the northern Worcester Hills and southern Berkshires. Wind gusts of up to 45 to 50 mph are expected to continue through Friday afternoon, raising the possibility of isolated power outages in some areas. The most dangerous travel conditions occurred between 9 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday, a window that overlapped directly with school bus pickup times across the region.
Worcester and Essex counties have seen the most significant impacts, though districts in Middlesex and Hampshire counties are also affected. Most schools are expected to resume normal operations by Friday afternoon as the weather system moves toward the Atlantic, but parents are encouraged to monitor their district’s official communications for any early dismissal updates if icing persists.
Full list of Massachusetts school closings and delays today
The following districts have reported changes to their schedules for Friday, March 6, 2026. Many have also canceled morning preschool sessions in conjunction with their delays.
Ashburnham-Westminster (Worcester) 2-hour delay, classes start 120 minutes late
Bedford Public Schools (Middlesex) 2-hour delay, no AM or PM preschool
Freedom Christian Academy (Worcester) closed, all activities canceled
Landmark School (Essex) closed, campus closed for the day
Marblehead Public Schools (Essex) 2-hour delay, bus routes delayed by 2 hours
UMass Lowell (Middlesex) delayed opening, campus opens at 12 p.m.
Amherst Elementary Schools 2-hour delay
Amherst Secondary Schools 2-hour delay
Athol-Royalston Regional School District 2-hour delay, no morning preschool
Easthampton Public Schools 2-hour delay, no AM preschool
Franklin County Technical School 2-hour delay
Frontier Regional School District 2-hour delay
Hampshire Regional School District 2-hour delay, no morning preschool
Mohawk Trail Regional School District 2-hour delay
Pelham Elementary School 2-hour delay
Quabbin Regional School District 2-hour delay
Quaboag Regional School District 2-hour delay
Ware Public Schools 2-hour delay
Winchendon Public Schools 2-hour delay
Common School (Hampshire) closed for the day
PV Chinese Immersion Charter School closed
Worcester Public Schools closed in some reports
Greenfield Community College opening at 10 a.m.
Mount Wachusett Community College opening at 10 a.m.
Worcester State University opening at 9:30 a.m.
Why so many districts chose a 2 hour delay over full closure
Two-hour delays have become the standard response to winter weather events across Massachusetts and much of the Northeast because they allow districts to preserve instructional time while avoiding the most hazardous period of early morning travel. The additional time gives road crews the opportunity to treat icy streets, allows temperatures to rise slightly after sunrise and lets bus drivers assess route conditions in daylight. Full closures are typically reserved for conditions severe enough that travel remains dangerous even after that window has passed.
The decision-making process behind these announcements is more complex than it may appear to families. School administrators typically begin monitoring National
Service forecasts, local road conditions, ice risk assessments and bus route safety data well before midnight. A single district may operate hundreds of individual bus routes, many of which pass through rural roads or steep residential streets that ice over far faster than main thoroughfares. A district wide call has to account for the full range of those conditions, not just the most accessible roads.
Decisions are generally made and communicated by 6 a.m., following consultations with local highway departments and police.
How to stay updated on school closings today
Parents looking for the most current information on school closings and delays have several reliable options. Automated alert systems such as Parent Square send notifications directly to registered contacts, and local television stations including Boston 25 News, WBZ and WCVB display live scrolling tickers throughout the morning. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also maintains an online portal with district level emergency links for those who want to go directly to the source.
Checking a school district’s official website or social media accounts remains the most reliable way to catch any last-minute updates, particularly if icing conditions change after the initial announcement has been made.
