Which states have a 4 day school week?

Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado have had four-day schools for a long time. They are a more recent addition in places like Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. The states are gatekeepers in a way, mandating a minimum number of instructional days or hours.

What states have the shortest school days?

What State Has the Fewest Required School Days? Besides the states that do not have a required minimum number of school days each year, Colorado has the fewest required school days in the United States, at 160.

Is Florida doing the 4 day school week?

Four day workweek trials

A Florida school board is "trying something new" by adding four-day weekends to the school calendar to combat absenteeism. Pasco County School board members voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve three of these "mini-breaks" in October, February and April for the 2024-2025 school year.

Is Oregon switching to 4 day school week?

Imbler school district is one of the districts in Oregon that switched from a five-day school schedule to a four-day school schedule. The 2023-2024 school year will be their first time changing their weekly school schedules.

Are Missouri schools switching to 4 day weeks?

Four-day weeks have been an option for Missouri schools since 2011, and now over 30% of the state's districts have adopted this shortened week — serving around 11% of the state's students. Many of the districts are in rural parts of the state.

What a 4-day school week means for teachers, students and families

Why shouldn't schools switch to a four-day week?

Fewer hours mean lower grades, research shows

Students on a four-day schedule, especially those with the least hours in school, have lower English language arts and math scores than students on a five-day schedule.

How many schools in Missouri are 4 day week?

Harrisburg was among the first districts in Missouri to drop classes once a week, but this year, at least 160 public school districts are running four-day weeks, accounting for about 30% of the 581 school districts statewide.

What are the cons of a 4 day school week?

One study found that the four-day week may hurt reading scores more than math scores. A large study released last year found that the shorter schedule held back student achievement in small-town and suburban districts but had little or no effect in rural districts.

Does a 4 day school week improve mental health?

A four day school week will help alleviate some of the rising stress levels in our students, while aiming to enhance student, teacher, and parent mental health. It will help provide better opportunities, allow for time to strengthen families, and shift towards student-centered learning.

How are 4 day school weeks better?

Proponents of a four-day school week argue that it offers several benefits, including cost savings, improved student attendance and increased teacher morale. By reducing the number of school days, schools can save money on transportation, food and energy costs.

Which country has 6 day school week?

Israel is the only country in the developed world where children go to school six days a week.

Why do some states have 4 day school weeks?

Districts that switch to four-day school weeks generally do so to cut costs on transportation, operations and support staff. In the last few years, improving teacher recruitment and retention has become another commonly cited reason.

What are the pros and cons of a four-day school week?

How long is a Chinese school day?

The school days usually last a whole day (from around 8:00 until 17:00) with 45-minutes-long classes, with a little more flexible schedules in more rural areas. In China's metropolises, where lunch breaks are shorter, kids might finish school around 15:00 as well.

What state has the longest school year?

Four states require more than 180 days, with Kansas as the leader. The Sunflower State mandates 186 days for kindergarten through 11th grade (and 181 days for 12th grade). Overall, the average requirement, among the states that have one, is 179 days. A minimum school year of 180 days has been the norm for a long time.

What is the oldest day school in the US?

Boston Latin School is the oldest school in America. It was founded April 23, 1635 by the Town of Boston (see Footnotes), antedating Harvard College by more than a year.

Why students should have Wednesdays off?

Wednesdays are a good day to just catch up and also get ahead. Most students can agree that their schedule is pretty packed during the week and having this day off helps them manage their time. Creating a schedule for Wednesday helps students develop time management skills that will be necessary for their futures.

Does California have 4 day school weeks?

There is only one other school district in California the state has allowed to have a four-day school schedule. That's Leggett Valley Unified oi the Eel River in Mendocino County. Compared to Big Sur Unified, it's a big district with four schools and 75 students.

Does shorter school days improve mental health?

According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, shorter class time could also have positive effects on students' health, such as lower obesity rates, better sleep quality, and fewer mental health issues.

Do teachers like four day school week?

Do They Work? Four-day school weeks are increasingly being offered as a way to recruit teachers, but the research is mixed on the advantages and disadvantages of the schedule. Now some states are reconsidering it.

Why should school be 4 days instead of 5 days?

The four day week is “enormously popular” among parents and students, the research found. It “saves districts a small—but not intangible—amount of cash. And on their day out of school, students are typically working, doing errands, or spending time with family, not running wild.”

Will school ever be 4 days a week?

Hundreds of school systems around the country have adopted four-day weeks in recent years, mostly in rural and western parts of the U.S. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher recruitment, although some have questioned the effects on students who already missed out on significant learning during the ...

Is Minnesota going to 4 day school week?

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, there are six school districts that have been approved to hold classes four days a week instead of five. All of the districts are in rural parts of the state — motivated primarily by money that it has saved.

How long have 4 day school weeks been around?

The earliest four-day school week may have been implemented in the Madison Central School District, Madison, South Dakota in 1931 (Hunt, 1936).