About 140 Missouri and 25 Kansas districts have 4-day school weeks. Here’s where
More school districts in Missouri and Kansas are now holding classes for only four days out of the week, a number that has taken off in recent years.
The reasons are varied, ranging from budget constraints to a desire to attract and retain teachers, which is why the Independence school district is considering the option.
An estimated 141 districts in Missouri and 25 in Kansas operate on this reduced schedule:
Missouri
2010 was the first year a Missouri district switched to four-day weeks, and the numbers have increased significantly in the past few years.
This year’s total of 141 districts is a peak. This number is an estimate from researchers at the Missouri State University College of Education, who included probable four-day districts in their total for the upcoming school year.
Hover over the points on the graph below to see how many Missouri school districts have been operating on a four-day schedule over the past 12 years.
All the districts that are confirmed or likely operating on a four-day schedule are shown on the map below. Districts colored in black are doing so for the first time this year, while other colors indicate districts that have used this schedule for multiple years.
The highlighted districts represent more than 72,000 students, or 8.4% of the state’s 859,000 students. The true percentage is likely higher because the state’s total includes charter school students, while this four-day week district data does not.
This map was compiled by Jon Turner, an associate professor of counseling, leadership, and special education at Missouri State University. Here’s a full list of the districts and schools operating on this reduced schedule.
Kansas
A total of 25 school districts in Kansas are operating on a four-day week schedule, representing 56 individual public schools. The total enrollment in these schools is around 4,746 students.
Hover over the map below to see the name of each school district where at least one school operated on a four-day schedule during the 2021-2022 school year. The map shows how many schools in each district adopted this schedule.
Data for this school year isn’t available yet — the state department of education expects to get a count of schools meeting four days a week in October.
Note: Life Preparatory Academy, a private school in Wichita, also meets four days per week. This map only represents public schools in Kansas.
“We don’t have specific data on how long these districts have been using a four-day week,” said Ann Bush, a spokesperson for the Kansas State Department of Education. “However, some have been using a four-day week for as many as 20 years while others are more recent.”
Do you have more questions about public education in Kansas or Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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