When my kids were (late 70s to mid 90s) in school it used to irk me that school would start just 2 or 3 days before Labor Day weekend.

Now I see that our local elementary school has its first day on August 18th.

The school year appears to have lengthened. Of course it is not for the actual education of the children but for all those staff development days, professional development days, how to fill report card days, promote our agenda days and how to teach to test days so we can get an award days.

In my little village in Ohio, it starts Aug 23rd this year. The school board votes each year on what the days will be for the next school year. There is no specific start date that applies to all Ohio schools.

Shirley

August 16th this year, a week later than normal.

August 31 which is NOT the date for all of Pennsylvania.

August 16 is Late for you Kath?? Wow! Where do you live?
I hope it's not a hot state.

I can't imagine hot states having their kids go back to school in the height of the heat. Of course the schools would be air-conditioned but still....

In Florida the dates differ by county. DGS starts next week but he used to start the first week in August. They had an earlier out time--like May 13. Now they'll go to the end of May. DD isn't too happy about it.

When we first moved to Florida in 1980 not all of the schools were air-conditioned. Poor kids, poor teachers!

Some started today in parts of Indiana.

Sue

I'm in Florida too. For years the starting date kept moving up into the earlier part of Aug. so that teachers would go back in late July and the kids came the next week. Since I taught kindergarten and needed lots of time to get the room set up and all the stuff out and cleaned, I would go in another week earlier than when teachers reported. One reason our county wanted early start dates was so that the first semester would be over before Christmas holidays and students who were finished and had enough credits for college could start a semester early and it allowed those graduation in May to start summer sessions.

Now the dates have been set by the state so that no one starts earlier than two weeks before Labor Day, I think. This year teachers go back the 15th and the kids on the 22nd. The rational for changing is that we have so many migrant children who do not show up until after Labor Day and with the No Child Left Behind Law and the class size amendment, it meant many schools had to switch kids around so as to not go over the size limit and hire more teachers after Labor Day and create new classes.

Its still so hot even in August and the kids hate going out to PE. Most schools(Elementary)now have an area under cover but its not a gym and they are required to have PE 150 minutes per week. BTW, many schools did not have air conditioning here in Florida until the 1980's.

The teachers start Monday, and the students will come on the 22nd. I have already been up working on my room. We used to start even earlier, but a lobbyist for the tourism industry got that changed. It was nice to finish up the semester before Christmas, but it is so hot right now.

We have a lot of different school districts around my area.

GS started his sophomore year, today.

Some start tomorrow, some next week.

Next Wed--the 17th. I just hope they don't go on the playground in this heat. It's 101 at 2:30 PM.

It starts the 18th of August here.

It starts next week in the middle of the week here in Iowa as far as I know. It is really crazy for school to start here in Aug. when it is usually very hot and this year it is the middle of the State Fair which means kids showing animals for 4H will miss the beginning of school. They get out of school in mid May.

August 17 here in central TX.

Aug 31, in the School District where I live here in NE Pa

August 16th

Here in Oklahoma our start date was August 10th but because of the heat they changed it to the 22nd with a strong possibility they may delay until Sept. 1st

August 23rd for Grant (Kindergarten) and Sept 13 for Camryn (preschool)

First Wednesday after Labor Day in Massachusetts, but we don't get out until almost the last week of June depending on how many snow days are necessary. In addition to Christmas break, our kids get a full week in February and a full week in April.

Because of the flooding and losing 3 schools and severe damage to others, they voted to start a week late, and not make it up--which does not make since to me. These kids need all the school they can get. Sorry to say, the quality of education in the US is way down comparing to even 10 years ago.

There is a Federal guideline that says all public schools must have 180 days of class for the school year.

It is then left up to each school district to determine how many holidays or breaks they will take during the school year and work out a calendar appropriately.

Although it is not done much anymore, years ago schools in the city would start earlier and have classes later in springtime, with more holidays and longer breaks for Christmas/ New Years and spring break.

I went to a rural school in Ohio were we got three days off for Christmas and One for New Years, no holidays and no spring break, but we got out of school in early May and didn't return until the first Monday after Labor Day. The reasoning was that the kids were needed for planting and harvesting on the farms.

On the other hand, it could be worse. When I was stationed in Germany the public schools were open 6 days a week and they only had one month off in summer, but they graduated High School at 16 years old, then go on to college or technical school, and nearly all trades in Germany require a minimum of one year technical school. Thats right folks, where I was in Germany you can not even be a waitress, bartender or cashier unless you completed a year of tech school and took a state trade license exam and all skilled trades required college or tech school and an state approved apprenticeship program.

September 1 here.

I live in a state of confusion, resident in the Province of Ontario ...

... and our schools start on either the day after Labour day (or possibly that Wednesday).

ole joyful ... still gettin' eddicated - or needing it, at least

My best friend is a retired teacher, and the few years she taught the school year started in early August. She also said her classroom was so warm and the kids just suffered.

I saw school buses this morning going by loaded with kids, and then spotted them throughout the day. I never knew our schools to start this early, so I'm wondering if it was for kids in the band or something else special.

Yesterday here in Sierra Vista where I live. When we first moved here back in 1984 they started around August 19. It was like that for several years and then it started getting earlier and earlier.

Last year they started on Aug. 4, which I thought was ridiculous. At least now they give the kids a Fall Break in October that includes Columbus day, which they would have off anyway. At least we can go someplace for a week when the weather is cool.

September 8 for students, the teachers go back on the 6th.

We're in Central KY and yes, that is late.

8/15-5/31 here in central California. This is our first year with a "ski week" in February. I think it is so stupid. I don't understand having that week. I would rather they extended their start date by at least a week.

When I was in school it was the Wednesday after Labor Day to around the 15th of June. Starting while it's still so hot out makes no sense to me.

Here in Wisconsin there's a state law that says they can't start before September 1 without petitioning the state to start earlier. This was due to the tourism industry mainly in the Dells area. One year our district did petition and the petition was denied. This was shortly after the law started. I remember when the law started everyone was up in arms that the state would tell us when to start school.

Anyway I got off track, our schools here start on September 1. Not sure when the teachers start. My daughter is a teacher and she has been going in all week for meetings and getting her room ready. She has some type of teaching classes next week.

some around here started august 1. others on the 8th.

In AZ, school started on Aug. 8th. Today was my granddaughter's second day of 1st grade. :)
Eileen

School starts here on Friday, August 12th. I know I never started school that early.

It is very hard for teachers who are moms & dads and moms and dads who work in other professions. What do you do with the your kids during these days off.

Danihoney, California always amazes me with their thinking on everything.I agree that having a ski week in February makes no sense at all. Do the parents get off for this? Wish I could say that extending the school year was done here in Virginia but it is only done for those schools who have children who don't speak English.A HUGE problem in many schools for teachers and children who do speak English. We teach to the test which is very controversial.

In NY, my daughters' college starts Aug 28 (Sunday) for orientation, class begins Aug 29, no class Labor Day (Monday Sept 5), and our public school starts the Wednesday after Labor Day, Sept 7. It's been that way since I can remember.

Here in Western Kentucky, our county schools started on Wed., August 10th. Their school year usually ends about the 3rd week in May but has been extended the last few years due to snow days etc.