Thompson, Tomayko, Gunter, & Schuna: Four-Day School Week

In Are All Four-Day School Weeks Created Equal? A National Assessment of Four-Day School Week Policy Adoption and Implementation, authors Paul N. Thompson (Public Policy, Oregon State University), Emily J. Tomayko (Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, Montana State University), Katherine Gunter, and John M. Schuna, Jr. (both of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Oregon State University) analyze data on the four-day school week in America and its impact on students, families, and school districts.

The number of U.S. schools operating on some form of a four-day school week increased from 257 in 1999 to 1607 by 2019. Although diverse factors have likely driven this increase, the authors note “financial reasons” as one of the main rationales identified by schools for switching to a four-day school week. Importantly, these four-day weeks are most prevalent in specific states and, further, primarily in rural districts.

Because of the relatively recent growth, existing research on the schedule’s effectiveness and impact on students is thin. Here, the authors also expand prior work by focusing on the entire country, allowing for comparisons across states.

The authors found certain common characteristics across most four-day school weeks. In general, schools that operate a four-day school week average 148 instructional days, compared to 179 days for schools on a traditional five-day week. Although schools with a four-day week average an earlier morning start and longer day than those with a traditional schedule, schools with a four-day school week average almost 100 fewer instructional hours per year than those on a five-day week.

Although still the subject of some debate, the authors also note that current research tends to show a correlation between fewer instructional hours and worse test scores. States such as Colorado, which operated a longer school day, saw better overall test scores compared to states with shorter school days and a four-day week, as in Oregon.

The authors also evaluated actual cost savings achieved via a four-day school week, finding that schools switching primarily for financial reasons saved on average $600 per pupil, per year. However, if a school transitioned to a four-day week for reasons other than cost savings, the authors found almost no change in expenditures and operations cost. This may be because, as the authors posited, schools which switched due to cost savings concerns were much less likely to operate off-day student activities compared to other schools operating a four-day week for different reasons.

Ultimately, the researchers created one of the first national compilations of data regarding four-day school weeks. There are lingering questions about the impact of reduced instructional time and financial ramifications, but this provides an important baseline for future work.