School year round pros and cons: The Pros & Cons of Year-Round School

The Pros & Cons of Year-Round School

With most schools in the U.S. following a nine-month calendar, it’s easy to assume that’s how all schools are. But in some districts, the calendar looks completely different. 

In fact, of the just under 133,000 K-12 schools in the U.S., around 3,200 run a year-round calendar. Having no summer break may sound awful at first blush, but many year-round calendar options consist of the same number of student-contact days as the calendar we’re used to. Breaks are just distributed throughout the calendar year.

Most of us won’t get to experience year-round schooling firsthand, but it’s worth taking a moment to understand different educational structures as we work to become well-rounded educators. Here are the pros and cons of a year-round school.

Pros

• Year-round school provides a more structured environment, one of consistency and positivity, for students with unsupportive or unstable homes. The safety and dependability that school offers doesn’t stop with the onset of summer.
• When schools close for the summer, achievement gaps increase and students experience a decline in academic skills and social-emotional health. Even the most prepared parent will find it hard to combat this summer slide. Low-income students are especially prone to these negative effects. Year-round school takes away the threat posed by the summer slide.

• Summer slide is also the reason why teachers spend the first month of school reviewing what was previously taught. Less instructional time is spent on review in year-round schools.
• Teaching at a year-round school means receiving a year-round salary. This is a pro that any teacher can get behind.

Cons

• Summer vacation provides a much-needed break for teachers and students who need time to refresh rejuvenate after working hard for nine straight months.
• Spending time at the beginning of a school year explaining classroom routines and expectations can feel like a waste of instructional time. However, it gives students a chance to practice important soft skills like adapting to new procedures, handling different work styles, and learning new schedules.
• With most schools on a nine-month schedule, extracurricular activities have learned to plan their programs accordingly. Therefore, students at a year-round school may not have availability to experience certain outside activities like summer sports teams or camps.
• It costs more to run a school year-round. Along with paying staff, the school building itself will require more funds for heating and cooling to keep the school running comfortably.

It’s tough to say definitively which school structure provides the most optimal learning environment, but it’s eye-opening to consider those we may not be familiar with in our quest to be the best educators we can be.

With nine different start dates every year, it’s never a bad time to start at American College of Education. Explore all our graduate-level programs in the field of education.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of American College of Education.

The pros and cons of year-round school, according to experts

The average number of school days per year for grades K-12 in the U.S. clocks in at about 180, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A traditional school calendar typically completes all 180 days by early summer, giving students a 10-12 week summer break before entering the next grade level. But what if there were another option that spread school days out over the year, allowing for more frequent breaks? Cue questioning the pros and cons of year-round school.

“Year-round school refers to a modified calendar with more frequent seasonal breaks throughout the school year and a shorter summer, not schooling every day,” explains Melissa Jones, teacher and founder of Girls Positivity Club, who spent nine years teaching in a year-round school.  

The year-round school model, which was initially made popular in the 1970s as a response to fast-growing student populations, has taken off recently in the South and West. Around one-quarter of South Carolina public schools use year-round calendars as of the 2022-2023 school year, and Washington state recently proposed “balanced calendar” grand funding for 45 school districts for 2023-2024.

A balanced calendar allows school days to be distributed more evenly year-round. Balanced calendars have also been considered a way for students to play “catch up” after remote and hybrid learning disrupted traditional school models in 2020 and 2021.

Here’s an expert look at the pros and cons of year-round school and how to determine whether or not it’s right for your family. 

What are the pros of year-round school?

Less summer learning loss 

Sometimes referred to as the “summer slide,” having to revisit concepts and information from the prior school year due to summer break is common for teachers. “When students are out of school for three months, there is a lot of ground to make up,” Jones notes. In her experience teaching at a year-long school, she found that students had less learning loss with a shorter summer break than a traditional school calendar.

Scott Perry, a project manager and writer at CatchersHome.com and father of two whose six-year-old son attends year-round school, also noticed this. “I think the schedule helps retain the information they are learning for longer due to the shorter but more frequent breaks,” he says.

There’s some evidence to support this. In one study published by the National Library of Medicine, authors found that year-round school calendars specifically improved academic achievement for low-income students. However, another study conducted at the University of Texas found that while the year-round calendar did improve summer learning, there was still a fall-off during other breaks in the school year.

“Students and their teachers are less stressed because of the short breaks from school throughout the year, which may also lessen incidents of student conflict. ”

— JOSEPH ADEGBOYEGA-EDUN, AN EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND COLLEGE ADVISOR

More frequent breaks mean less stress 

Year-long school schedules typically have two-week-long seasonal breaks in the fall, winter and spring. For students, more frequent breaks lead to less stress. 

“Students and their teachers are less stressed because of the short breaks from school throughout the year, which may also lessen incidents of student conflict,” says Joseph Adegboyega-Edun, an education consultant and college advisor of over 20 years. As a parent of a child in year-long school, Perry has noticed that having more frequent breaks has benefitted his son. “The breaks tend to fall right around the point where he tends to need a short mental break, which is great,” he says.

A year-long school model benefits teachers as well. “Stress levels tend to be very high right before breaks, so the two weeks allow teachers to tie up any loose ends at school, get caught up on grading and still have a substantial break to spend quality time with family or take a trip,” says Jones.

Taking family vacations during times when other students are still in school also helps make trips more cost-effective.  

Stronger bonds formed between staff and students 

“Year-round schooling enables students to get to know their teachers and other school staff better,” says Adegboyega-Edun. Parents, teachers and students have the opportunity to grow and foster relationships over the year, which helps promote a more harmonious school environment for students.

What are the cons of year-round school?

Fewer opportunities for families during summer 

So much summer enrichment is built around the traditional school year model, from summer camps to extracurricular activities. As John Blanchette, Vice President of Education and Training for Mathnasium, notes, finding programs that fit the year-round school’s two-week break model may be difficult.

“While it can be a challenge to find childcare, camps or other activities to enroll students in during the summer, it could be an even bigger challenge when you need to find these outlets every six weeks for two weeks at a time,” he says. The window for planning summer trips also becomes more limited with a year-long school model, which can be difficult for parents to plan around depending on their own work schedules and flexibility.

“While shorter breaks can reduce burnout, the lack of a long summer break could potentially lead to a different type of burnout, as students and teachers don’t have an extended period to reset.”

— JEFF JARVIS, A SPECIAL EDUCATION MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER IN CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA

Fewer opportunities for summer jobs and internships 

For high school students, year-long school eliminates the possibility of earning income at a summer job or having a summer internship experience before they return to school. “Students who work in the summer will work less,” says Adegboyega-Edun. “Internships and summer camp schedules are disrupted because the year-round school schedule shortens kids’ summer break.” 

More potential for teacher and student burnout 

“While shorter breaks can reduce burnout, the lack of a long summer break could potentially lead to a different type of burnout, as students and teachers don’t have an extended period to reset,” says Jeff Jarvis, a special education middle school teacher at A. C Stelle Middle School in Calabasas, California. 

Not having an extended summer break eliminates the opportunity for kids to truly unplug and also puts added stress on teachers. “Teachers are often experiencing extreme burnout by the end of the school year and need time to reset,” says Jones. 

Additionally, teachers often have to do professional development classes to keep their licenses updated, which they typically schedule during the long summer break.

How to decide if year-round school is right for your child

Still not sure if year-round school is right for your child? Here are some questions and considerations to take to decide.

What’s the impact on our family’s schedule, time together and travel? 

Jones recommends clarifying your priorities as a family and honestly evaluating how this decision would impact your time spent together. “First, consider how the year-round school calendar fits your work, childcare, and family activities,” she says. “Next, consider the pros and cons of shorter breaks throughout the year versus longer summer vacations. Finally, consider your value on quality family time and vacations and how you like to create memories together.”

How will year-round school benefit my child academically? 

If you’ve noticed your child needs help with retaining information at the start of each school year, Jones says that year-long school could be a way to help with your child’s learning progression to prevent them from losing knowledge over the long summer break. However, year-long school isn’t the only method for achieving this. If a traditional school model works well for your child in every other aspect, consider other summer learning opportunities as another option.  

Can my child adjust to the new schedule? 

Switching from a traditional school model to a year-long school is an adjustment that not every child can overcome without challenges. 

“Think about your child’s flexibility in adapting to change and learning style,” says Jones. “Are they comfortable with changing routines and shorter breaks?”

Younger and older children may have different needs in this area if they’ve either just entered traditional school over the last few years or are entering middle or high school and have adapted to the conventional model long-term, notes Jones.

“Ask yourself how a year-round school schedule may impact your child’s participation in sports, arts or summer camps.”

— MELISSA JONES, TEACHER AND FOUNDER OF GIRLS POSITIVITY CLUB

While many year-long schools pride themselves on the extracurricular programs offered throughout the year and during breaks, if an activity like playing in a summer sports league is important to your child, a year-long school schedule may pose conflicts.

“Ask yourself how a year-round school schedule may impact your child’s participation in sports, arts or summer camps,” says Jones. “Make sure they’ll have enough time for their interests.”

What support does the year-round school provide? 

“Year-round school schedules may differ from traditional school calendars, requiring parents to adjust their work schedules or find suitable childcare options during shorter breaks,” says Jones. Because of this, it’s essential to consider the impact on family routines and ensure necessary arrangements can be made. 

“First, find out about the school’s resources, services and programs — then, consider if they meet your child’s needs and if the school prioritizes student well-being and individual attention,” recommends Jones.

Ultimately, as with any learning model, there are pros and cons of year-round school. As Jones concludes, “Understanding your child’s unique needs, preferences and aspirations will help guide your decision-making when determining whether a year-round school fits them — and you.”  

dates for autumn, winter, spring and summer

The solemn lines dedicated to the Day of Knowledge barely have time to die down, when schoolchildren begin to count the days until the next vacation. And their parents too. However, pauses in the educational process are also necessary for teachers. We will tell you who regulates the periods of long-awaited rest, and when schoolchildren have holidays in the 2022-2023 academic year.

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In accordance with the law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, each school can independently approve its own program, curriculum and work schedule, that is, stop at a five-day school or switch to a six-day school. Educational institutions independently set vacation time. The choice is not so wide, but it is, and we decided to consider different options for the training system with their pros and cons. It depends on this when school holidays will be in 2022-2023.

School holidays and adopted systems

Gymnasiums, lyceums and schools should plan the learning process so that children have time to master the program, and their health does not suffer from this. That is why breaks are so important in the academic year. The child must reboot and continue to master the theorems and rules rested. Let’s see what study schedule is offered at the school in 2022-2023, and why the management prefers one or another option.

Traditional quarters

This form of education is considered the most popular. Conservative quarters are established in most schools. The year is divided into four quarters, according to which a vacation calendar is adopted – both for 2022 and all subsequent ones. Before this, all students, except for first-graders, are given grades – then annual grades are derived from them. This scheme has advantages and disadvantages.

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• Most often, school holidays coincide with public holidays, and this is exactly what is planned for the 2022-2023 academic year. It is convenient for family holidays.
• Grades in each quarter serve as a kind of indicator of the child’s work, when he can control the results, “pull up” weaknesses and be proud of successes.
• You will not have to miss classes in the sports section, music or art school, since the quarter system is also most often approved in institutions of additional education. That is, vacations coincide.
• Irregular periods in the learning process – 8, 7, 11 and 7 weeks. The second quarter flies by, you won’t have time to blink an eye. And the third seems endless, and children get sick more than they study. The first-graders were a little more fortunate in this regard. The vacation calendar for the 2022-2023 academic year provides for additional rest for them – from February 6 to February 12.

However, many general educational institutions, which are chosen by quarters, have adjusted to the last significant minus.

Trimester learning rhythm

The year is divided into three trimesters, each of which has three months. It seems that it is unbearably long, but the rest does not end as quickly as at quarters. In Russia, students studying under this system have long vacations for 2022-2023. They last for 17-18 days – these are the autumn and spring periods.

The modular scheme is based on the trimester scheme. In it, three academic months are split in half and the segments no longer look so intimidating. As a result, children get six half-intervals – five training weeks and a week of rest. The system is often referred to as “5+1”. So, the autumn holidays for schoolchildren in 2022 are scheduled as follows: from October 10 to 16 and from November 21 to 27. The year turns out to be not so busy, but this order can hardly be called ideal.

The vacation schedule for 2022-2023 is designed so that after each module there are seven days of relaxation. The exception is the New Year holidays, when 9days. However, as in the whole country at this time. We list the pros and cons of the trimester and modular device.

• Grades in this scenario are given at the end of the trimester, not the module. Therefore, even if the child was sick and missed classes, he will catch up and receive a sufficient number of marks for certification. By the way, it’s easier for a teacher to summarize at the end of the year – there are three marks, not four, as in quarters, when it is difficult to make a choice (two fours and two fives). This is a positive thing.
• Sometimes, depending on public holidays, the day of the week on which September 1 falls, and other circumstances, the duration of the module is increased to six or even six and a half weeks. Of course, horse racing is not very popular with children and parents.
• It is more difficult for parents to organize children’s recreation during such breaks. In the 2022-2023 academic year, trimester holidays rarely coincide with official holidays. Although on the days of the holidays, children, of course, do not study. But not all adults have the opportunity to take a vacation every five weeks and keep their child for seven whole days.
• It takes a lot of time to build up after the rest, and then the next holidays come up again. The quality of education under such a scheme may suffer.
• As some parents note, children with the “5 + 1” system get sick much less than with the quarter. But we consider this criterion rather subjective.

Bimester system

Bimesters are less common in Russia, which divide the year into five equal segments – approximately seven weeks each. It’s good if there are a couple of educational institutions in the metropolitan regions that are adherents of the scheme. After each bimester, a rest for two weeks follows. For example, the autumn holidays for schoolchildren in 2022, winter, spring and summer holidays in 2023 are planned in such a way that in some cases they even overlap with public holidays. We will list the exact dates below.

Curiously, under this system, the school year lasts not nine, but ten months. Bimester supporters argue that during the two summer months of rest, children do not have time to “lose” knowledge as much as it happens with other schemes. With quarters and trimesters, after a three-month break, as a rule, the whole of September is spent repeating last year’s material.

• Among the main advantages is the restoration of the child’s body by almost 90% after each two-week rest. And the preservation of the volume of residual knowledge for the shortened summer period.
• Of the main disadvantages is the postponement of a long rest. For the bulk of schoolchildren, the academic year 2022-2023 will already be left behind, but for the bimester system, children’s holidays in June will not come yet. It can be difficult for teachers to set up children for study when most of their peers frolic from morning to evening on playgrounds. Also, certification is less frequent, and it is more difficult for parents to monitor the progress of their children.

How educational institutions determine school holidays

In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 115 dated March 22, 2021, the school schedule alternates between school hours and holidays. Rest must last at least seven calendar days. The educational organization itself determines when the autumn holidays begin in 2022, and when the winter and spring holidays begin in 2023. The Ministry of Education annually publishes recommended dates, but the final decision is up to the school council, which can adjust these dates. This is regulated by the following legal acts:

• Article 34 of the Federal Law of December 29, 2012 N 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation” states that students are granted the academic right to vacations – scheduled breaks when receiving education for recreation and other social purposes in accordance with the legislation on education and calendar training schedule.
• Clause 17 of Order No. 1015 of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated August 30, 2013 “On Approval of the Procedure for Organization and Implementation of Educational Activities in Basic General Education Programs — Educational Programs of Primary General, Basic General and Secondary General Education”, in the process of mastering general education programs, students are provided with vacations. Their start and end dates are determined by the educational organization independently.
• Appendix to the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated December 17, 2010 N 1897 informs that all schools approve the calendar academic schedule. It indicates the alternation of educational activities (curricular and extracurricular) and vacations by calendar periods of the academic year: the dates of the beginning and end of the academic year, the duration of the quarters (trimesters), the timing of vacations and intermediate assessments.

Note that federal and regional government agencies, local administrations cannot interfere with the curriculum and schedule of schools. The academic year calendar with holidays, including for 2022-2023, is approved in advance, published on the official website of the educational institution in September and excludes the transfer of holidays to rest periods.

Holidays in 2022-2023 for those who study in quarters

With rest during the school year in schools following the quarter system, everything is very clear. Recall that these are approximate intervals recommended by the Ministry of Education. Educational institutions can move the deadlines forward or backward by a few days. Let’s tell you how the holidays were distributed here for the fall of 2022, as well as for the spring and winter of 2023.

• Autumn holidays – from October 29 to November 6, 2022.
• Winter holidays – from December 31, 2022 to January 8, 2023.
• Spring break – from April 8 to April 16, 2023.

Holidays in 2022-2023 for those who study in trimesters

Since we are talking about a modular scheme, the guys will have to rest more often. For example, in 2022 holidays will take place not only in October, but also in November. Such schools also have the right to vary the schedule when children should go on vacation.

• Autumn holidays – the first from October 10 to 16, 2022, the second from November 21 to 27, 2022.
• Winter holidays – the first from December 31, 2022 to January 8, 2023, the second from February 20 to 26, 2023.
• Spring break – from April 3 to April 9, 2023.

Holidays in 2022-2023 for those who study in bimester

Although there are much fewer general educational institutions that have adopted the bimester system than traditional ones, they still exist. Let’s see how they plan study periods and vacations in 2022-2023:

• Autumn holidays – from October 24 to November 6, 2022.
• Winter holidays – the first from December 26, 2022 to January 8, 2023.
• Spring-winter holidays – from February 27 to March 12, 2023.
• Spring Break – May 1-14, 2023.

Is it possible to postpone the number of vacations in the 2022-2023 academic year

It is one thing to shift the dates, and another to shorten the rest period, for example, due to quarantine. The school has no right to take such a step. Whatever the number of vacations in 2022 and any other academic year, they are a planned break. They have nothing to do with quarantine and cannot be replaced by it.

Parents, in turn, can take responsibility and take the child to rest earlier. Or extend the next vacation, if there are family circumstances. For example, one of them has a vacation or mom and dad together. In 2022-2023, you can go on vacation to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. For schoolchildren, there are preferential travel and discounts on excursions. It is advisable at this time to be interested in the educational process with the teacher, do homework if possible, read so that the child does not have to catch up with the program.

If the child simply gets tired while learning the quarter system, it may make sense to change it to the trimester system. And vice versa. For each parent, it is not the academic performance of children that is paramount, but their physical health and psychological comfort. Alternatively, you can contact the school council to review the vacation schedule and the education system. But for this you need to enlist the support of the majority of parents.

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Trimesters, bimesters or quarters – which format of study is better

Quarters

The schedule, which divides the academic year into four unequal parts, has existed since Soviet times and is very popular to this day. Each quarter ends with an interim assessment. Depending on the distribution of weekends and holidays in the year, the longest study period – the third quarter – can last up to 11 weeks, and the shortest quarters – the second and fourth – last from seven weeks.

Here is what the quarterly schedule looks like in Moscow schools in the 2022/23 academic year:

For pupils of the first and correctional grades, additional holidays are provided in February – from the 18th to the 26th.

Pros:

• Intensive training: each period is long enough to tune in to study and work productively.
• Holidays coincide with holidays – children and parents can relax together.
• Most clubs, sections and creative studios work on the same schedule.

Cons:

• Uneven load: the third quarter is much longer than the rest and falls in the winter – the most depressing and difficult period for the body. Children lose motivation and often miss school due to illness. And the short fourth quarter is unproductive due to the May holidays, annual assessments and the atmosphere of the approaching summer.
• During the second and fourth quarters, children may not have time to collect the number of marks required for objective assessment.

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Trimesters and modules (5+1)

In recent years, more and more schools are switching to trimesters. In this format, there are three equal training periods – autumn, winter and spring.

However, in its pure form, one does not study in trimesters: it would be too difficult to study for three months without a break. Therefore, each trimester is divided into holidays in half. It turns out that the academic year is divided into modules according to the “5 + 1” principle: after five working weeks – a week of holidays. But intermediate grades are given at the end of the trimester, that is, at the end of every second module – in November, February and May.

This is how the 2022/23 academic year looks like in the 5+1 learning format:

In total, students must have at least 30 calendar days of vacation per academic year, and summer vacations last at least 8 weeks.

Pros:

• Uniform workload: children have more rest and get sick less, they have more time to communicate with loved ones and additional education.
• Psychological comfort: there are the same number of days of rest as under the system of quarters, but there are not three, but five vacation periods in the academic year. Students get the feeling that they have more rest.
• Uniformity of assessments: intermediate marks are given every 11 weeks – this is enough time to correct the average score, if necessary.

Cons:

• Short study periods. Five weeks is not enough to get involved in studies (especially for primary school students), and one week is not enough to fully relax.
• It’s hard to relax on a vacation in the middle of the trimester, when grades have not yet been set, and after the rest, verification and control tests are waiting.
• Holidays do not coincide with holidays. Children do not always have the opportunity to spend them with their families.
• Vacation schedules at the school do not coincide with the schedules of sections, circles and clubs working on a quarterly basis.

Bimester

Quite a rare format used by some gymnasiums and schools at universities. The year is divided into five study periods (bimesters) of seven weeks, between them – five vacations of two weeks.

The academic year under this system lasts from September to June – as much as 10 months (instead of seven and a half or eight, as in other formats), and there are only two months for summer holidays.

Such a system may seem too heavy, but it should be remembered that nowhere else in the world, except for the post-Soviet countries, do schoolchildren have such long summer vacations. Usually they last two or two and a half months, no more.

Pros:

• Uniform load distribution. In seven weeks, you can effectively get involved in your studies, and in two weeks you can fully relax.
• The interval between academic years is shorter – the knowledge in the minds of schoolchildren does not have time to completely disappear over the summer. Less time spent on repetition.
• Convenient planning. During the holidays, teachers have time to analyze the results of the past bimester, adjust the plan for the next one, and even take a break.

Cons:

• Short summer holidays.
• Attestation is less frequent – it is more difficult to monitor the progress of the child.
• In June, when most of their peers have a rest, it is difficult for children to continue studying.

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Foxford Home School Schedule

Our Home School has a 30 week academic year. At the same time, students in grades 1-9 study in semesters, and high school students (grades 10 and 11) – in half a year, like university students.

Basic courses are held from September to the end of April. May is the time for passing the annual certification at attachment schools, which may begin at different times.

Primary school has holidays. For the webinar format and mini-classes, the duration of the vacation is five days. This is done in order to meet the program of each subject and pass all the material before the start of the annual certification. But on the other hand, we have no more than four classes a day, and they do not start until 10:00 Moscow time – there is time to get enough sleep and tune in to study.

The middle and high school have a week where webinars are not held: the second week of November and the second week of February. Certification starts earlier: November 1 and February 1.

If a student completes assessment work in the first week of assessment, then the week without webinars turns into a vacation. If there is no desire to combine tests with studies and you want to focus on certification, then a week without webinars will allow you to do this.