Early Start Calendar

Early start calendar coming in 2025-2026

The district will implement a new early start/early end calendar beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. 

The early start calendar is designed to improve achievement and address mental health concerns of students and staff by aligning the end of quarters with natural breaks and providing more time for staff development and teacher collaboration.

The idea is to start the school year a week earlier in August and end the year just before Memorial Day in May. Traditional breaks, like MEA, Winter Break and Spring Break, would fall at the end of each quarter - giving staff and students a natural break to recharge before starting new courses.

By beginning the year earlier, students would have additional days of instruction before spring testing. An early start calendar would also provide more days throughout the school year for professional development and staff collaboration. 

Board members agreed to try the calendar out for a couple of years to see if it has an impact on mental health outcomes and academic achievement. District administrators will measure the results through staff and student surveys and analysis of data.