More school districts across the United States are shifting to four-day school weeks due to a nationwide shortage of teachers.
As of writing, roughly 2,100 schools in 900 districts across 26 US states have adopted a four-day week. This represents a notable increase from 2019 when about 1,600 schools were using this model.
The four-day school week is most common in states located west of the Mississippi River, with Colorado having the highest concentration of schools operating under this model. Other states that have adopted this approach include Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, and Texas, per Slate.
Why Are Schools Switching to a Four-Day Week?
One factor that is driving the growing trend of four-day school weeks, especially in rural communities, is the shortage of teachers. Schools in these areas receive less funding from the state and likely cannot afford to offer teachers a competitive salary.
To attract and retain high-quality teachers, rural schools such as the Independence School District in Missouri offer four-day work weeks. This approach has helped them have larger budgets, allowed them to pay teachers higher salaries, and compete with neighboring districts.
Independence School District, specifically, saw their teacher applications go up by 360% since 2023 after offering extended weekends. The majority of their applicants were veteran teachers, according to CNN, citing Dale Herl, the district superintendent.
Teachers are not the only ones benefitting from four-day school weeks. Despite having longer school days, students in these schools have an extra day to catch up on their homework, participate in club events, and spend time with their families.
That said, the approach does not work in all school districts. In some areas, teachers still found themselves working just as much on the fifth day. Students in middle school and high school also showed no difference in the amount of sleep and rest they were getting, a 2021 study showed.
Vacant Teaching Positions in the US
As of 2024, approximately 49,000 teaching positions remained vacant, with an additional 400,000 positions filled by underqualified instructors. Across the nation, 74% of public schools said they struggled to fill vacant teaching positions with fully certified teachers for the 2024-2025 school year.
