How Many Weeks In A School Year Actual Weeks In School Year

How Many Weeks In A School Year Actual Weeks In School Year is our today’s topic. A school year in the United States is often 35 to 36 weeks long (based on a 5-day school week) and 175 to 180 days long. The requirement, meanwhile, varies from state to state, district, grades, and school type (ex. charter vs public).

Actual Weeks In School Year 2023

How Many Weeks In A School Year?

The exact number of weeks in a year that the fall semester covers varies due to lessons only being held a few days out of another week (and school closures).

For example, a school district in South Florida has a 20/21 school year that runs from August 19th to June 9th, covering 43 weeks of the 52 weeks in a complete year. However, due to vacations and teacher planning days, four full weeks and a total of 31 days closed. In all, the schools are open for 39 weeks, for a total of 180 instructional days.

What Is The Number Of School Days In A School Year?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) estimates that there are around 160 to 185 school days in a year, including an average of 175-180 days. Again, this number varies by state, district, and so on. Some institutions may also satisfy a minimum amount of teaching hours every school term rather than days.

Using the South Florida school as an example, the school year ran from August 19th, 2020 to June 9th, 2021. The school is closed on 31 of those days, leaving 180 teaching days.

Houston, Texas, on the other hand, has a school term that lasts 40 weeks and is open for 36 of them. It runs from September 8th, 2020 to June 11th, 2020, for a total of 199 weekdays. After 28 days of holidays and teacher preparation, the Houston school term is just 171 days of instructional time.

State-mandated School Days

Based on statistics from the Education Commission of the States, this graphic depicts the 2020 school-day requirements for several states.

Minimum Amount of Days In School Year of Every State

1. Alabama: 180 days
2. Alaska:     180 days
3. The Arizona:   180 days
4. Arkansas: 178 days
5. California: 175-180 days
6. The Colorado: 160 days
7. Connecticut: 180 days
8. Delaware: Only a requirement for hours
9. District of Columbia: 180 days
10. Florida: 180 days
11. Georgia: 180 days
12. Hawaii: 180 days
13. Idaho: Varies by district
14. The Illinois: 176-185 days
15. Indiana: 180 days
16. Iowa: 180 days
17. Kansas: Grades 1-11: 186 days Grade 12: 181 days
18. Kentucky: 170 days
19. Louisiana: 177 days
20. Maine: 180 days
21. Maryland: 180 days
22. The Massachusetts: 180 days
23. Michigan: 180 days
24. Minnesota: Grades 1-11: 165 days
25. The Mississippi: 180 days
26. Missouri: Only a requirement for hours
27. Montana: Varies by district
28. Nebraska: Only a requirement for hours
29. Nevada: 180 days
30. The New Hampshire: 180 days
31. New Jersey: 180 days
32. New Mexico: Only a requirement for hours
33. The New York: 180 days
34. North Carolina: 185 days
35. North Dakota: Only a requirement for hours
36. Ohio: Varies by district
37. Oklahoma: 180 days
38. The Oregon: Only a requirement for hours
39. Pennsylvania: 180 days
40. Rhode Island: 180 days
41. South Carolina: 180 days
42. South Dakota: Varies by district
43. Tennessee: 180 days
44. Texas: Only a requirement for hours
45. Utah: 180 days
46. Vermont: 175 days
47. Virginia: 180 days
48. Washington: 180 days
49. The West Virginia: 180 days
50. Wisconsin: Only a requirement for hours
51. Wyoming:  175 days

Conclusion

In all, a school year lasts 35-36 weeks, 175-180 days, and almost 9 months. Based on that 180-day average, we spend 2,340 days in school during our K-12 education; that’s 6.4 years!? Hope you enjoy reading our article How Many Weeks In A School Year Actual Weeks In School Year?