Can I add a school calendar to Google Calendar on my phone?

Not from the phone app. On a computer, next to Other calendars, choose From URL and paste the link; it then shows in the app.

Can I subscribe to a school calendar PDF?

No. A PDF has no link to subscribe to. Type the key dates in, or use an app that reads a PDF or photo.

Will the school calendar update on my iPhone?

Yes, a subscribed calendar updates when the school changes it, on Apple’s refresh schedule.

How to Add a School Calendar to Your iPhone (and Google Calendar)

Q: How do I add my child’s school calendar to my iPhone?

Copy the school’s calendar link, then in the Calendar app tap Calendars, Add Calendar, Add Subscription Calendar, paste the link and tap Find (Subscribe on iOS 18 or earlier).

Quick answer: Find the school’s calendar link (look for subscribe, iCal or .ics on the school or district site). On iPhone, open Calendar, tap Calendars, Add Calendar, Add Subscription Calendar, paste the link and tap Find. Choose iCloud as the account so it shows on all your devices. A PDF can’t be subscribed to.

Find the school's calendar link (often on the school or district website, labelled "subscribe", "iCal" or "add to calendar"), then on your iPhone open Calendar, tap Calendars, Add Calendar, Add Subscription Calendar, paste the link and tap Find. The school's dates then stay in your calendar and update when the school changes them. If the school only posts a PDF, there's no link to subscribe to, and you'll need to add the dates another way.

Step by step on iPhone

Apple's own instructions, for iOS 26 or later (Apple Support):

Copy the school calendar's web address. A link that starts with webcal:// or ends in .ics is the one you want.
Open the Calendar app and tap the Calendars button.
Tap Add Calendar, then Add Subscription Calendar.
Paste the address and tap Find.
Give it a name ("Cedar Hill school days") and a colour.
Next to Account, choose iCloud, so it appears on your iPad and Mac too.
Tap Done.

On iOS 18 or earlier the route is the same; the button says Subscribe instead of Find, and you choose iCloud from the Account menu. Apple adds one caution worth keeping: make sure you trust the source of a calendar before you add it.

To share it with the other parent, each of you subscribes on your own phone. A subscribed calendar is read-only, so nobody can accidentally delete a PD day.

On a Mac, or in Google Calendar

Mac: in Calendar, choose File, then New Calendar Subscription, and paste the address (Apple Support).
Google Calendar: on a computer, next to Other calendars, choose From URL, paste the address and click Add calendar (Google Calendar Help). It can't be done from the phone app. Once it's added on the web, it shows in the app.

Where to find the link

Try these, in order:

The school's or district's calendar page. Many school website systems put a subscribe or iCal button above the calendar.
The district's "important dates" or "school year calendar" page, which often has one calendar for the whole district.
The school's parent app or newsletter.
The office. Ask whether there's a calendar link you can subscribe to, rather than the PDF.

If the school only has a PDF

You can't subscribe to a PDF. Your options are to type the important dates in (PD days, holidays, early dismissals, report card nights), or to let an app read them for you: see how to turn a photo or PDF schedule into calendar events.

What a school calendar won't tell you

It tells you Friday is a PD day. It doesn't tell you who's got the kids that day. The days off and early dismissals are exactly the days a plan falls through: see our snow day plan and winter break childcare plan.

In Kid Pickup, the school run is a repeating pickup (and drop-off, if you need one), and each day has one person on it. Call off the pickup on a PD day, move the early dismissal to its new time, and the family can see which ones still need someone; a pickup nobody has taken gets a nudge to parents and guardians the day before. Kid Pickup's own calendar feed goes into Apple or Google Calendar, so the school's dates and who's doing pickup end up side by side on your iPhone.