From Dance to History: How Schools Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Teaching

From Dance to History: How Schools Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

By Edér Del Prado — April 25, 2025 1 min read
Folklorico dancers dance their way through Madison Avenue during the Annual Mexican Day Parade in New York City.
Ryan Rahman/iStock Editorial
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL

In a matter of days, Cinco de Mayo celebrations will once again fill communities all over the United States with vibrant colors, delicious food, captivating dances, genial attitudes, beautiful songs—an overall infectious good time.

Despite some misconceptions, Cinco de Mayo does not celebrate Mexican Independence Day, a status the country achieved more than 50 years prior to the events for the holiday, which celebrates a major battlefield victory in 1862 in a war with the French.

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo isn’t a major holiday outside of the state where the battle took place, but it has become one in the United States, especially in areas with a large ethnically Mexican population. As USA Today reported, its popularity grew in this country during the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s, as activists linked their own struggle for cultural recognition with that of 19th century Mexicans fighting against a foreign power.

For American schools, there’s plenty of ways to observe the holiday, whether it’s a Mexican-themed lunch, or having a traditional Mexican performance put on for the students to enjoy. School systems use the holiday to celebrate their Mexican American staff, students, and overall community.

Here’s how various districts and schools teach about this historic day and make it an opportunity for fun.

Learning through food and games

Traditional dances and a classic Mariachi band

A little bit of everything

Edér Del Prado
Social Media Producer,  Education Week
Edér is the social media producer for Education Week.
Related Tags:
Holidays

Events

Thu., May 22, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Register
Tue., May 27, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
Register
Thu., May 29, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs
Create Your Own Job Search

Read Next

Teaching Teachers Don’t Identify Creativity Equally in All Students. Why That Matters
Teachers have subconscious biases in how they view student creativity. That could result in disadvantages—at school and beyond.
Elizabeth Heubeck
•
5 min read
Close-up of smart girl using small tools to assemble robot by learning from tablet computer, technology concept
E+/Getty
Teaching Q&A Obama Ed. Sec. John King: Teachers Can't Be Bombarded With Reforms
He describes life through the lens of the teachers who shaped him, and reflects on his time leading the nation's education agency.
Sarah D. Sparks
•
8 min read
Former Secretary of Education John King speaks with Education Week during an interview on May 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Former Secretary of Education John King reflects on his tenure and on the changing teaching profession in an exclusive interview with Education Week on May 5, 2025, in Washington.
Sam Mallon for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How Teachers Can Ask Students Questions Their Phones Can’t Answer
When students have unlimited answers at their fingertips, it’s more urgent than ever for teachers to find better questions.
Kim McWilliams
•
4 min read
A questionable and Unsure Future Landscape. A person standing in a landscape with a rock formation in the shape of a question mark.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Teaching Opinion Teachers Share Their Best Advice—in 6 Words or Less
Veteran educators know their stuff and share it—succinctly.
Larry Ferlazzo
•
2 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Load More ▼