About 96 percent of all K-12 students in the U.S. attend schools that use the traditional school calendar, beginning each year around Labor Day and ending close to Memorial Day. But there is a better way: The “balanced school calendar” adjusts the 180-day school calendar to keep the learning process continuous throughout the calendar year.
In this form of year-round school, students have periodic, shorter breaks rather than one long summer intermission. The length of summer vacation is reduced from approximately 12 weeks to 6 weeks, and learning is designed around frequent breaks from school throughout the year.
One of the benefits of year-round school is that students have continuous access to learning, academic support, library books, and food. Without long breaks during which students forget material, there’s less need for reteaching topics that have already been covered. The balanced school calendar also allows for real-time remediation if a student falls behind: Students can use the scheduled breaks to complete unfinished assignments and get extra help.