InClass

Some states require 160 days of school, some 190. Pop quiz: Where does Arizona fall?

Break out the paper chain! The school year’s just started, true, but it never hurts to look forward. Whether you’re on a traditional or Arizona’s common year-round schedule, the number of school days is the same: 180. (For the record, one “day” means four hours of instruction, which excludes lunch and recess.) To see how Arizona requirements compare to other states, check out this list compiled by Education Commission of the States.

What isn’t the same, though, are Arizona schools’ calendars. While schools across the country typically start in September, Grand Canyon State schools have been inching earlier and earlier. One possible reason? Earlier calendars give teachers more time before (the now defunct) AIMS testing in October and March.

But Arizona lawmakers have been considering pushing the school year back. Arizona HB 2303 would require district and charter schools to start no earlier than the first Monday in September. Introduced by Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, the bill was approved 5-2 by the House Education Committee in February. It’s currently retained on the House calendar.

According to Farnsworth, schools would save money by shifting the calendar back — thereby missing August’s scorching temperatures and monsoon humidity.

But regardless of when the school year starts, you’ll still have 180 days of instruction. Learn how to make the most of them in Arizona K12 Center’s Cognitive Coaching workshops.