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There are more than 1.1 million students served by the 1,700-plus public schools in New York, and they all have the day off on Thursday.
If you're bothered by flocks of youths filling up your subway car and local hangs on a random weekday, blame a group of 19th century Protestants in Brooklyn. The first Thursday in June is Anniversary Day, a public school holiday that's observed exclusively in New York.
Formerly known as Brooklyn-Queens Day, the holiday dates back to the 1860s. It commemorates the founding of the Sunday School Union and an accompanying parade of students that would traditionally run through Brooklyn and Queens every year. Despite its religious roots, the holiday has turned into a more secular tradition.
Public school students in Brooklyn have gotten the day off since 1905, and schools in Queens began observing the day in 1959. In 2005, the holiday spread to all five boroughs, and students citywide have had a one-day reprieve from their knowledge prison ever since.
So if you see youngsters roaming about the city on Anniversary Day, know that they're not heading to a ditch party.