Four-day school weeks are attractive for many districts, but a study by University of Oregon researchers released in April recommends that states and school districts avoid reducing time in school, finding increased hours in the classroom generally produces improved student achievement, according to an article in K-12 Dive.
States and districts should add hours first to schools with the least time in session, researchers recommended. Adding hours in these settings could yield the greatest returns.
The report shows that a 10% or more increase in school time is likely to produce increases in achievement, but the benefit is not as great when lengthening days that are already long. Bumping a seven-hour day to eight hours is unlikely to have the same benefit as extending a day from five to six hours.
In one study the report reviewed, a student in the 50th percentile in math moves to between the 54th to the 65th percentile with more time in school.
The study is relevant as instructional time is fluctuating nationwide:
- A law signed in West Virginia last month allows school districts to design academic calendars around instructional hours rather than days, giving them flexibility to move to a four-day school week.
- Louisiana lawmakers are debating a bill that would mandate a five-day school week, with exceptions for districts with the highest performance level and those that were operating on a four-day schedule before the end of last year.
- One Texas district, Liberty Hill Independent School District, is reverting back to mostly five-day school weeks after piloting four-day weeks for part of the 2025-26 school year.
- According to a 2023 analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 24 states had at least one school district with a four-day school week, representing an increase of over 600% since 1999. Shorter school weeks are more common in small, rural districts, although the option has been on the table more often for larger districts more recently, according to the NCSL analysis.
The variations in school calendars nationwide are “raising concerns about equity and long-term academic outcomes,” according to the HEDCO Institute.
“This research shows that, in most cases, more time in school leads to better academic outcomes, especially when that time is well designed and focused on learning.” said Elizabeth Day, research assistant professor and assistant director of outreach at the HEDCO Institute, in a statement.
The institute found “little evidence” that a four-day school week benefited academic performance, attendance, behavior or graduation rates in a review of 11 studies last year.
“Districts often turn to four-day school weeks to address budget and staffing pressures, but the evidence suggests this change may come at a cost to students,” Day said.
Budget pressures have increased post-pandemic, and four-day school weeks reduced districts’ annual expenditures by 1% to 2% on average, according to an analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Four-day school weeks are a way to boost teacher and staff morale and retention, say advocates.
The 2025 analysis of research by NCTQ found that, on average, four-day school weeks did not reduce teacher turnover. Still, NCTQ found that teachers and administrators think positively of four-day school weeks and consider the scheduling strategy a tool to help with recruitment and retention.
K-12 Dive
