When should schools start?

[clori]

In Massachusetts school calendars are set by cities. My city used to start the Wednesday after Labor Day but they switched that the year after dd16 started kindergarten. Now we start the Tuesday before Labor Day and get Friday/Monday off for Labor Day weekend. Last year with Labor Day being late they wanted to go back the last week of August but didn't have approval from the teacher's union. This year we went back August 30th and should get out around June 12th.

We have 4 quarters in school. In high school every two quarters is a semester. The vast majority of classes are full year but there are classes like gym and some art or business classes that are only half year. Depending on their class kids take either a midterm or final in Jan and June. They strongly discourage kids from taking more than 2 AP classes a year but in reality that is to help the kids who probably don't really belong in ap from taking all ap classes. My dd is doing dual enrollment so this year she started classes after Labor Day though the week before she helped with freshman orientation at high school plus had her college orientation (received her free textbooks).

 

[RedAngie]

Right after Labor Day until mid-June is the norm here.

Personally, I would prefer a later start, like September 23 and go all the way up to July 3. June is really still spring, and September is an awesome month to vacation.

Year round school with a week's break every 7 to 8 weeks would be good too.

I'm surprised that State Fairs determine the start of schools in various states.

 

[design_mom]

Some of you mention semesters and having finals before Christmas (like a college schedule). Here the majority of classes are full year. Only a handful are half-year (one semester) courses. Mid-terms, and finals for those few half-year classes, take place in January and the first semester ends in late January (MS and HS).

Perhaps I used the wrong term. Most of my kids' classes are full year classes, too. I think they do call their end-of-semester exams "midterms." When I was in school, we called them "semester finals" or just "finals"... even for full-year classes, so that's the term I'm familiar with. My kids still prefer having their end-of-semester exams prior to winter break so they can relax without pressure/homework. which was the point I was trying to make.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I remember always starting the Wednesday after Labor Day as a kid. DS's school just switched to the Tuesday after a couple of years ago. (It used to be the week before.)

As a teacher, I'm for earlier start, earlier out. The kids are "done" as soon as the weather gets nice. And I agree it would help the AP kids. But as a parent, I've enjoyed the later starts. It worked out especially well for us last year, as we vacationed at the end of the summer in order to attend a family wedding.

As for midterm exams before vs. after Christmas, I actually like that DS has that time to catch up a bit or get a little ahead on studying.

In my perfect world (which would include air-conditioned schools) I would go with a "modified year-round" calendar. I like the idea of several medium-length breaks (for travel and just to decompress) but I do think kids experience a lot of important non-academic growth over the summer. Here's a sample (I think from 2014-15):

Term 1: July 23 - Sept. 26
(Two week break)
Term 2: Oct. 14 - Dec. 19
(Three week break)
Term 3: Jan. 12 - Mar. 20
(Two week break)
Term 4: April 6 - June 11
(Five and a half week summer break)

There are a few long weekends in there at holidays, and it comes out to 185 days (which builds in five snow days).

Edited to ask about several posters mentioning semesters, as in two. That sounds more like a college schedule. We have 4 marking periods. Do many schools operate with only 2 reporting semesters?

We also have 4 marking periods, but the schedules are printed in 2 semesters because there are some electives that only run for half the year.

It seems like there should be a second round of AP exams given in June to accomodate students in the northeast and other regions with the Sept-June school year. Just like the SAT and ACT are offered on different dates, I don't see why this couldn't be as well.

I think that would be a great idea!

 

[AppleDumpling]

My kids still prefer having their end-of-semester exams prior to winter break so they can relax without pressure/homework. which was the point I was trying to make.

Sure, I would prefer it too!

I think there's both pros and cons to different schedules and obviously there are different issues that dictate the norm in each local area. So I can't really say when school SHOULD start, and I think it would be hard to change long-standing traditions.

I'm not in favor of year round school. I think children need a break with unstructured free time for play, family activities and anything else they choose to do. Especially during the younger years- elementary and middle school. They grow up so fast, let them enjoy being kids.

 

[AppleDumpling]

In my perfect world (which would include air-conditioned schools) I would go with a "modified year-round" calendar. I like the idea of several medium-length breaks (for travel and just to decompress) but I do think kids experience a lot of important non-academic growth over the summer. Here's a sample (I think from 2014-15):

Term 1: July 23 - Sept. 26
(Two week break)
Term 2: Oct. 14 - Dec. 19
(Three week break)
Term 3: Jan. 12 - Mar. 20
(Two week break)
Term 4: April 6 - June 11
(Five and a half week summer break)

Now this would not be bad. I believe some countries in Europe follow a similar schedule. Although I still prefer the traditional American system, and realistically I don't ever see that changing in my lifetime.

 

[craedaisy12]

But the biggest problem I see with that is having to add air conditioning to all our schools (none currently have A/C). I can't imagine that much learning is going to happen sitting in a non-air conditioned class during the hottest month of the year.

In my county they have been working towards getting AC installed in all schools. There are some schools still without it so a new thing they followed this year was if the weather was predicted to reach 90+ by 11am the next day they would cancel school for just the ones without AC. For this crazy rule the schools without AC have missed maybe 3-4 days of school in just this first 2.5 weeks and they are not required to make them up!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm going to be very unpopular but I'm a fan of year round school.

My kids always forgot half the stuff they learned the year before plus many of the teachers (especially math) would spend the month of August reviewing things from the previous year with the students before continuing with the new stuff.

When I worked full time, they would've been in daycare on the weeks school was out just like during summer or we'd take some vacation time then and go someplace and when they were older, they would've been home alone for less amount of time instead of all day till 6pm for 2 months straight.

Where I live in Georgia right now the school starts in early August and gets out just before Memorial Day. Where I grew up in MN it started after Labor Day because of the resorts (teens were the primary hires to help out with cleaning cabins, fish house and boats) and usually got out around mid-June. It's still that way today according to my sister who lives there.

 

[runwad]

In my county they have been working towards getting AC installed in all schools. There are some schools still without it so a new thing they followed this year was if the weather was predicted to reach 90+ by 11am the next day they would cancel school for just the ones without AC. For this crazy rule the schools without AC have missed maybe 3-4 days of school in just this first 2.5 weeks and they are not required to make them up!

Makes me wonder how we did it when we were kids going to school when it was hot. We surely didn't have air conditioning in schools back then.mmmm

 

[Colleen27]

In my county they have been working towards getting AC installed in all schools. There are some schools still without it so a new thing they followed this year was if the weather was predicted to reach 90+ by 11am the next day they would cancel school for just the ones without AC. For this crazy rule the schools without AC have missed maybe 3-4 days of school in just this first 2.5 weeks and they are not required to make them up!

Our schools are working in that direction too, and I think it will quickly become the norm in schools that can afford it. Because the weather seems to get wonkier every year - record setting snow one year, record setting heat the next - and even starting after Labor Day, even here in Michigan, is no guarantee that there won't be a week like this one where 3 of 4 days have been all but wasted because it was too hot to concentrate in the classrooms. At parent night last night, at 7pm, it was still 92* in the science room!

 

[Colleen27]

Makes me wonder how we did it when we were kids going to school when it was hot. We surely didn't have air conditioning in schools back then.mmmm

I don't remember more than a handful of really hot days when I was in school, on a traditional (for Michigan) Labor Day to second week of June schedule. But 2015 was the warmest year since recordkeeping began in the 1880s and 2016 is set to surpass it. Locally we've set quite a few records for temps or heat indices this summer, and IIRC, on a macro level, 8 or 9 of the 10 hottest years on record have been this century.

 

[tvguy]

In Massachusetts school calendars are set by cities. .

In the district I live in the calendar is negotiated with the teachers union. The advantage is, when a new 3 year agreement is reached, the school calendar is locked in stone for the next 3 years which helps parents plan vacations. I have seen more than one parent here mention that their school district made last minute calendar changes that conflicted with their vacation plans. That can never happen here.

 

[tvguy]

Some of you mention semesters and having finals before Christmas (like a college schedule). Here the majority of classes are full year. Only a handful are half-year (one semester) courses. Mid-terms, and finals for those few half-year classes, take place in January and the first semester ends in late January (MS and HS).

It's interesting that schools operate so differently in different states. For those who have moved to another state, was it a difficult transition for your kids (or you) to make?

Even with a year long class, the thinking is it is better to have the tests BEFORE the kids take 2 weeks off, rather than after. I went to a private high school my Freshman year, and back to public high school for the rest of my high school years and it TOTALLY threw off my schedule. The private school did Biology in the Freshman year, Chemistry in the Sophomore year, Physics in the Junior year and if a student wanted, Physics II in the Senior Year. The private school started a year later, and didn't offer Physics II. And my foreign language fell a year behind too. I had taken Freshman Spanish in 8th grade, and was on track to have 5 years of high school foreign language on my transcript, but the private school schedule was set up so only Sophomores could take second year Spanish.
The worst was for my DD in College. She went to one California State University, and transferred to another, only to discover the second CSU didn't want to give her credit for any of those classes. After a lot of petitioning, and pointing out the CSU charter says classes must be accepted from one campus to the other, she got most of the classes transferred. There were 2 that did not count towards graduation that she gave up on, primarily because nobody at the second campus could figure out what the classes were. They were unique to the first CSU campus.

 

[runwad]

I don't remember more than a handful of really hot days when I was in school, on a traditional (for Michigan) Labor Day to second week of June schedule. But 2015 was the warmest year since recordkeeping began in the 1880s and 2016 is set to surpass it. Locally we've set quite a few records for temps or heat indices this summer, and IIRC, on a macro level, 8 or 9 of the 10 hottest years on record have been this century.

Ya you're right about the records but we had some hot days/weeks too. I remember going outside with our books and having class under a tree because it was so warm on the 3rd floor of my elementary building. And we always started after Labor Day and got out around the 2nd week of June. It's just how it was they would've never called off school then for heat. Heck I don't even think we got out for cold like they do now. We only got out for snow and had to be a big snow. I'm in NE Ohio by the way.

 

[leebee]

Wednesday after Labor Day would be my choice. We always get out of school around the 12th of June and go back on the Wednesday before Labor Day. It feels odd to me, plus we get some really hot weather in September. In June, it's not really warm until the end of the month, but September? It was 92 degrees in Bangor today (and none of the schools and almost none of the houses here have a/c).

 

[Missy1961]

Back in the olden days (the 1970s), school started the day after Labor Day and ended the Friday before Father's Day. I went to Catholic school in suburban Long Island, New York, which meant a woolen jumper. I know we didn't have AC in school in those days, but I also don't remember sweating too much either. I think it's much hotter now than it was in those days. (yes, I'm talking about climate change.)

 

[aprilgail]

I'm going to be very unpopular but I'm a fan of year round school.

My kids always forgot half the stuff they learned the year before plus many of the teachers (especially math) would spend the month of August reviewing things from the previous year with the students before continuing with the new stuff.

When I worked full time, they would've been in daycare on the weeks school was out just like during summer or we'd take some vacation time then and go someplace and when they were older, they would've been home alone for less amount of time instead of all day till 6pm for 2 months straight.

Where I live in Georgia right now the school starts in early August and gets out just before Memorial Day. Where I grew up in MN it started after Labor Day because of the resorts (teens were the primary hires to help out with cleaning cabins, fish house and boats) and usually got out around mid-June. It's still that way today according to my sister who lives there.

That would suck for us. Year round schooling usually gets like a week or two off together but broken up throughout the year- would totally kill summer camps, travel camps etc- who wants to go to go to camp in the winter? And it would screw up vacation for us if only a week off, we typically go longer than that and last year went away for 7 straight weeks. I would not like that at all.

 

[Skippy918]

I wouldn't mind year round schooling either. The kids just finished week 3 of school and they are still reviewing material from last year.
I think Arizona has year round school, because the kids get 2 weeks for fall break, 3 over Christmas and 2 for the spring, plus another 6 over the summer.
I work full time so to me it really doesn't matter because I only have 3 weeks of PTO anyway which is enough for one vacation and a few days over Christmas break. The rest of the holidays, my kids would be at daycare.

 

[bethbuchall]

Mid August for around schools around me and generally out by Memorial Day (except for seniors who get out mid-May) . Growing up there was usually 5 or 6 days are built in for snow days though I don't know exactly how they do that now. If they aren't used school was let out that many days earlier. There had been a few years growing up that too many were used (usually due to ice storms which haven't been an issue for a while) and so we had to stay late. The latest I had ever stayed was like June 5th or 6th...felt wayy too long.

It honestly worked out. I can't imagine starting summer as a norm in June..it did suck starting in mid-August but still.

We have 3-4 snow days built into the calendar. If they aren't used (rare), the elementary and middle school kids get out a couple of days earlier than they would have. The state makes the regents schedule, so the high school students don't have any change to their schedules. If we use too many snow days, they start taking days away from Spring Break to make up for it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We have 3-4 snow days built into the calendar. If they aren't used (rare), the elementary and middle school kids get out a couple of days earlier than they would have. The state makes the regents schedule, so the high school students don't have any change to their schedules. If we use too many snow days, they start taking days away from Spring Break to make up for it.

Ohhh ouch (to the underlined part). That sounds like a crappy way of doing it at least from an outsiders prospective.