About this time every year, familiar rants start to pop up on social media. Most are some version of: “It’s crazy that school starts so early now! When I was a kid, we didn’t go back until after Labor Day and we still got out in June!”
It’s absolutely true that school starts earlier than it used to, and there are two primary reasons: high school students taking tougher classes than you and I did … and some simple math.
Up until a couple decades ago, most Hendricks County districts started school in mid-to-late August and ended the year in early June. Their first semesters usually ended in late January. Back then, local schools began to add Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-credit classes. Both types of classes became important to college-bound students and their parents, because they offered a way to get a college degree while taking (and paying for) fewer classes. A motivated high school student can easily knock off three semesters of college before receiving their diploma.
That makes those classes more consequential, and the college-level subject matter is significantly more complex. Spreading normal high school classes across the couple weeks of Christmas vacation (yes, it’s officially “winter break” now, but I’m going with what most people call it) was already tough on students. January meant semester finals for things learned months ago and teachers were accustomed to having to play catchup when break was over. But when you combine that learning gap with college-level material, it’s harder for students to earn those credits and save that time and money.
Shifting the semester break to Christmas vacation eliminated that frustrating gap and increased the likelihood students would be successful. Since most of the county’s school districts use the same buses to run both elementary and secondary routes, youngsters need to be on the same calendar as their older counterparts.
Where does math come in? State law requires students to receive a minimum of 180 days of classroom instruction each school year. (Most districts add extra days to allow for snow days.) Divide 180 days into two semesters, and you get 90 days each. So take out a blank calendar and determine how to best fit 90 days before that last class day before Christmas Eve. Don’t forget to block out Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Plus, most districts take a week or two for fall break, so you have to fit that in, too.
If you’re in one of the districts that takes a two-week fall break, you’ll see that fitting all 90 days gets you to the first week in August or the last in July. It’s truly simple math. If you think that’s too early, you could eliminate fall break and make kids come to school on Black Friday. That would bring you to mid-August. It would also make you one of the most-despised people in the community. Fact is, most students and parents want those breaks. Teachers want (and need) them even more.
Another consideration is Area 31, the career and technical education center that serves students from all six county high schools. Area 31 is housed at Ben Davis High School, so it follows the Wayne Township Schools calendar. Most districts try to avoid conflicts with Area 31, but there are usually a couple days when our county schools are on break, but Area 31 students still have to attend classes.