There was a time, fondly remembered by some, when the school year didn’t begin until after Labor Day. And there were good reasons for starting school in September back then, but times have changed — and so have start times.
In some states, the first day of class has inched farther and farther back into summer, and some counties have even adopted year-round schooling, choosing to distribute 3- to 4-week breaks throughout the year rather than taking months off during the summer.
This poll is closed. Here’s what readers told us:
In what month do you think the school year should begin for kids in grades K-12?
July
2%
August
13%
September
51%
School should be year-round
34%
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Comments
Play is just as important as academics. Kids today don’t really know how to play and socialize. I live in a state where kids get a two week fall break then back to school, two week winter break, then back to school and the a two week spring break, then back to school. The last day of school is the end of May, unless they have snow make-up days and then it’s back to school the end of July. Long summer vacations take the stress away from yo-yo school schedules.
I vote for year-round. My two grown children attended both year-round and traditional. Personally I liked year round. Weeks off are known up front and use of time off could be planned way ahead of time. We were out of cycle for most schools so we could avoid crowds at most popular attractions. Students in a specific grades were staggered so it was less of a social stigma to fall behind and easier and quicker to make up work. Some say sports programs would suffer; but they should run on their own schedule and students sign up as extra-curricular activities.
I take it another radical step. I think grade levels should be done away with and call them academic levels or similar. Then it’s okay to have mixed ages at any one level. Student progress at their own pace because all students are unique in how they learn.
School should be year-round with short breaks (a week or two)and holidays throughout the year. That way the students can better retain what they learn.
Starting school in August means that the weather is simply too hot, both for teachers and students and not every building or classroom has air conditioning. If it is too hot, the students cannot go outside and concentration is difficult.
With a much time being taken off for teacher conferences, snow days, Christmas/New Years and smaller holidays, shortened school hours takes away from the overall learning time for a student. Also, the kids get bored quickly after a month of being off, so they found other things. So the middle of July to Memorial Day would make for great learning period and less boring time off in the summer. A further thought, this would for student 12 and under, and adjust for kids in rural/ agricultural communities to help with harvest. Just a thought…
Right after Labor Day is soon enough. The weather beings to cool off and cooling a school whose doors are constantly being opened uses way too much AC or is way too hot without it to slow for children to not be overheated.
I think school should start after Labor Day and stop before Memorial Day. My guess would be that the Department of Education is behind the ridiculous mandates and demands for X amount of days in school. The truth is, our schools produced better students before those mandates.
On a more logical reason, it’s expensive to air condition schools and by adhering to the Labor Day – Memorial Day calendar, you would save a lot of money on utility bills.
By September, I mean late Sept. This would mean starting the summer vacation in late June. Think around ‘the 20th’ for both months. Whenever I started school in Van Nuys/Encino/Sherman Oaks, it was like an oven, well after Labor Day which was terrible.
I’m sure it was like that in other parts of the country too, yet in many, probably very nice fall weather soon after the start date. If I could have chosen October, I guess I would? With October though, there was “the look” of autumn coming in (to the extent we got it), but with the heat continuing. Usually in November things would finally be in sync.
I had it easy compared to the ones now going back in early August?! Yikes!! As far as the year-round schooling goes, it would have its good and not so good points. On the latter, I think the continuity of learning would be disrupted, and the ‘back to school’ dread would be a few times per year rather than just once.