Here in Cleveland, and every other part of the country I’ve lived in, the school year has already started. Generally, the school year will start on the Monday of the last full week in August.
In Western New York, though, when I was growing up, the school year started in early September; the first Tuesday after Labor Day. I think the practice continues to this day. Are there any other parts of the country where the school year starts late, or is this just a Western New York thing?
I’m pretty sure September start dates are the norm, and starting in August is unusual.
FWIW, the NYC public schools start on Sept. 2 this year. I’m fairly certain the schools in Westchester, where I grew up, had a similar start date.
When I went to private prep school in New England, we didn’t start until the third week of September. But then, we had to live there.
When I was a wee lass in Cleveland I remember always starting school in September. This would have been between the years of 1983 to 1995. Here in Florida my son goes back to school in the middle of August or so, which I think is way too early.
My nephew is back at school - he’s in Scotland.
Nitpick, school starts in Western New York on the first Wednesday after Labor Day. And the practice does continue to this day.
And I’m pretty sure that’s the norm everywhere, not the exception.
In Michigan, K through 12 starts the day after Labor Day. I’ve always thought that (Northeast?) Ohio was the odd group out (andf I have never heard a good reason for the discrepancies since the Winter and Spring breaks are generally the same length and the end of classes usually occurs at the same time.
I have never looked into it, but perhaps Ohio requires more days of school per year, requires/permits more teacher in-service days, or provides more flex time (in Northeast Ohio) to handle lake effect snow days.
I was talking to my husband about this yesterday. I’m in northeastern Ohio like the OP, and always went back to school after Labor Day. We never had nearly as many snow days when I was in school as they do now. So with more snow days, they have to make them up somehow, and that means going back early in anticipation and/or getting out later in the spring.
I talked to a friend on Saturday who’s a teacher in a Cleveland area school district (don’t know which one) and she said her student’s don’t come back till Wednesday. But I drove through Cleveland Heights school zones this morning and saw kids walking, so they went back today.
Long Island NY also starts the first Wednesday after Labor Day, but I’ve been through several Southern states, and they all start sometime in August. Now I’m in Denver and there’s one school that’s starting in LATE September.
Wisconsin state law forbids public schools from starting classes before September 1st. The law is relatively recent and was pushed through with a lot of help from the state’s tourism industry who didn’t want to lose their school-aged summer help.
Here in CT, they start on Aug 27th (Wednesday), with today and tomorrow being teacher days.
When I was growing up in NJ, we always started in September, and it looks like they’re still doing that and not starting until September 5th.
Here in central Indiana some public schools started as early as August 11th. (Some additional schools are on a year-round system with a smaller summer break, so I am not counting them, only those on a traditional calendar.) All of the public school systems with which I am familar started by the 15th of this month.
As an aside, I have family in Arkansas, and they are all back in school already. When I was young we started after Labor Day too, but the increased number of days of school required by state law has increased, and there is a desire to have full week spring and fall breaks (we used to have a three-day fall break).
Most MIchigan schools used to start aroungd the 2nd or 3rd week in AUgust. But the state felt that Labor Day travel and vacation plans were hurt by the early start so they pushed it to after labor Day. In Florida and Georgia I think the kids have been back for a couple weeks already.
The school district I grew up in in Texas (Hurst-Euless-Bedford I.S.D.) frequently started in late August. I just checked their calendar (warning - PDF) for this year - August 25 is the first day of classes.
My wife’s first day of school (with kids) was August 11. Seems like it’s earlier every year.
Just noticed this typo. What was I thinking, actually paying attention to work while cruising the Dope? That apostrophe in students shouldn’t be there. Sorry.
Not everywhere in Connecticut–my son starts back after Labor Day, on September 2.
I always started school in the last week of August and my perception was that most other schools in the area did the same. In the 12 years since my high school graduation though the trend seems to be for schools to start earlier. My school-age relatives start in early August now.
For Catholic school, both grammar and high school, we started the last week of August. Chicago public schools start after Labor Day (Sept 2 this year). Some colleges in the area don’t start their fall quarters until late September or early October.
My kids start Sept. 2. We’re in San Diego. Other kids in the area have already started, though.
I’m in South Korea. The school year here officially starts on March 1st. Since that’s a national holiday (officially known as March 1st; I am not kidding you), the next day (unless it’s a Sunday) is the actual start of the school year.
Another odd thing is that the end of the school year is the last day of February. January and the first two weeks of February constitute the winter break. All the students come back to school for two weeks and then it’s one day off and bang a brand new school year.