Kids love 3-day weekends off from school, and as a parent, there are also some advantages (like getting to sleep past sunrise). However, there are some downsides, both academic and practical.
This year, as many more school districts adopt a 4-day week, more parents will experience the practical effects firsthand, and this could provide the nation with guidance on whether this schedule could work for more students across the country.
For many parents, a lack of childcare is the prominent concern, but other concerns, including teacher retention and academic success, may also figure into future practicality.
Where Are 4-Day School Weeks Being Implemented?
Hundreds of districts across the U.S., totalling thousands of schools, have already experimented with cutting a school week to 4 days. A University of Oregon study examined schools that tried out the practice in Oregon, Oklahoma, and Colorado, and to a lesser extent, in Kansas, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wyoming.
In Texas alone, more than 100 districts have implemented 4-day schedules, according to KXAN, and others are using hybrid schedules that include 4-day weeks part of the year.
Typically, these are school districts that find the cost of operating burdensome and hope that shortening the school week will help reduce teacher burnout and bring budgets to sustainable levels. In other words, they’re mostly rural districts, where schools are already struggling.
How Does A 4-Day School Week Affect Students?
For students suffering burnout or bullying, the benefits of fewer school days are evident. Journalist’s Resource reported last year that one study found bullying decreased by about 40% with a shorter school week. There were also fewer fights, although no decrease was tracked in weapons incidents or vandalism. Perhaps counterintuitively, truancy also did not decrease.
Academically, it’s a mixed bag. In rural schools, K12Dive reports that a University of Oregon study measured dips in math and reading scores for younger students, but that high school students had improved math scores and better on-time graduation rates. (In non-rural schools, the effects were more negative in all respects, but most schools implementing these shortened schedules are rural.)
Researchers theorize that part of the effect may hinge on what kids are doing with that extra day off. Notably, researchers in a 2023 study found that higher-performing students were more negatively impacted by fewer instructional hours compared to lower-performing students. They theorized that this may be due to the loss of specialized instruction time.
Ultimately, there’s no clear-cut, singular answer to the question of whether Fridays off are better for students — it varies widely depending on several factors.
How Does The Shortened Week Affect Families?
Many parents’ immediate response is to question what they’ll do for childcare on the fifth day of the week.
Relying on the school system as childcare is clearly a flawed setup to begin with. It’s one reason kids are going to school while sick with contagious illnesses, and it already leaves parents struggling on teacher workdays and school holidays. However, for many families, it’s the option available, and one or both parents often plan their work schedule around their children’s school hours. For those families, losing a school day means losing a workday, and losing income needed to keep the family afloat.
On the other hand, when a day off is positive for kids (such as those struggling with mental health due to bullying, or to school burnout) that’s great for families, too.
For families with the resources to enjoy the extra day, a shortened week means more opportunities to travel together or enjoy other shared activities.
How Do These Schedule Changes Affect Teachers?
Some school districts cited teacher retention as a reason to try a 4-day week, in the hope that it would reduce burnout and help keep teachers engaged. This may be effective in some cases, and it seems that the extra time for planning, addressing personal needs, and rest may help retain teachers in certain situations.
However, there are a few drawbacks. Many teachers will still leave these districts for districts with a full-length week and higher salaries. Additionally, cutting school days doesn’t mean reducing the curriculum, so teachers must still plan to fit the same lessons into fewer days.
The National Council on Teacher Quality reported in 2023 that shorter work weeks were appreciated most by teachers in districts where their workday included a longer commute, but on the whole, they were still more likely to seek positions in a different district.
What Should Parents Consider?
Even if your district is not planning a schedule change this year, parents should consider the possibility and effects.
Keep an eye on school board meeting agendas and community forums, and watch for local and state legislation that could affect school schedules. When and if it does come up, attend meetings and listen to the proposals, the reasoning behind them, and the expected effects. Ask questions if you have them. If you have input, it may be welcomed at board meetings, or your district may prefer to receive letters or calls. Be sure to spread the word so that other parents aren’t caught off guard!
You can ask about the options available to support students who are negatively impacted by the extra days off and how it will affect extracurricular activities, which contribute positively to student mental health. Ask how it will affect assignments and school support.
If your district transitions to a shorter school week, it’s best to start planning for childcare, adjusting work schedules, and addressing other needs sooner rather than later. Organizations like your church, community center, or YMCA may step up to offer childcare or classes to cover the shortages. They may provide a limited number of sliding-scale spots based on income or membership. So, ask early, as delays may leave you scrambling.