At least 71 Kansas public schools have 4-day week schedules this year. Here’s where
More Kansas public school students than ever are attending classes only four days per week.
Data from the Kansas State Department of Education lists 71 public schools with four-day weeks this year, up from 69 schools last year and just 56 the year before.
These schools are located in 31 different school districts, mostly located in the southern and western portions of the state. New to the list this year is the West Elk school district, where two schools are adopting 4-day schedules for the first time.
As in years past, none of these districts are located in the Kansas City area.
An estimated 7,069 students are returning to classes this fall on a four-day week schedule — an increase of over 10% from last year and nearly 50% from two years ago. This year’s total represents around 1.5% of Kansas’ roughly 484,000 public school students.
Kansas State Department of Education spokesperson Denise Kahler told The Star this data is preliminary — the true number of four-day week schools may be slightly higher.
“There are still 17 districts that haven’t submitted their information,” she said Wednesday.
In Missouri, the number of students on four-day week schedules is also on the rise. Nine school districts serving more than 21,000 students adopted a four-day week schedule for the first time this fall.
The largest among them is the Independence School District just east of Kansas City, which serves over 14,000 students. An estimated 11% of Missouri’s public school students now attend class only four days per week.
Do you have more questions about education in Kansas or Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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