Year-round school facts for kids

Year-round school means students go to school without the usual long summer vacation. Long ago, schools often closed in summer because many families worked on farms. Kids were needed to help plant in spring and harvest in fall. In cities, schools used to be open almost all year. For example, in 1842, New York City schools were open for 248 days!

But before air conditioning, summers were very hot. Richer families would leave the hot cities for the countryside, taking their children with them. So, city schools started having summers off too. By the late 1800s, schools in both cities and rural areas started using a similar calendar. Today, about 10% of public schools in the United States use a year-round calendar.

A common way year-round school works is called the "45-15 ratio." This means students go to school for 45 days, then get a 15-day break. Instead of one long summer break, students have more frequent, shorter breaks throughout the whole year.

Why Year-Round School?

Benefits for Students and Teachers

Switching to year-round schooling can have many good effects. Teachers can have a steady job all year. They also get more time to plan lessons and fun class activities. Plus, they spend less time reviewing old information. This is because students don't forget as much over shorter breaks compared to a long summer. Students also get more frequent breaks, which can help them stay refreshed.

Flexible Family Vacations

Some families really like the year-round calendar. It lets them take vacations at different times of the year. They don't have to travel only during the busy summer months. This can also mean more chances for families to spend time together.

Helping with Crowded Schools

Another big reason for year-round schooling is to help with crowded classrooms. Some schools use a "multi-track" system. This means they divide students into different groups, or "tracks." These groups go to school at different times. For example, one group might be on break while another is in class.

This system allows more students to attend the same school without making class sizes too big. It also means the school building is used almost all the time. It's not empty during long breaks or summer. Multi-track calendars have helped reduce crowding in places like California and Las Vegas.

Costs of Year-Round School

Compared to other ways to handle crowding, like using portable classrooms, multi-track year-round calendars can be cheaper. However, if schools are open for more days, the costs for running and maintaining the building might go up. This could be by as much as 10 percent.

Challenges of Year-Round School

Who Doesn't Like It?

Not everyone is a fan of year-round calendars. Businesses that depend on summer fun, like summer camps and amusement parks, often don't like them. They worry about losing customers during the summer. Some parents also prefer the traditional long summer break for family time.

Impact on Rural Areas

Year-round calendars are also not common in rural areas. This is because they can conflict with the needs of farms. In the summer, young people are often needed to help with farm work.

What Research Says

Research has looked into how year-round schools affect learning. One study from 2016 found something interesting:

"Although year-round calendars do increase summer learning, they reduce learning at other times of year, so that the total amount learned over a 12-month period is no greater under a year-round calendar than under a nine-month calendar."

This means that while students might learn more in the summer, they might learn less at other times. So, over a whole year, the total amount learned might be about the same.