DATA

POINT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

NCES 2020–011 FEBRUARY 2020

Shortened School 

Weeks in 

U.S. Public Schools

The School Questionnaire was administered as part of the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which is a state and nationally 

representative sample survey of public and private K–12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The selected 

school samples include about 10,600 traditional and charter public schools and 4,000 private schools. This Data Point examines the characteristics of 

public schools in the United States where students attend classes fewer than 5 days per week.1

 

In an effort to attract high-quality teachers and to reduce costs, some schools and districts have been reducing the student school week to four 

days.2,3 Despite the increased use of this strategy, there is little substantive research that examines the effect of a shortened school week on 

students. Skeptics have indicated concerns with lack of access to meals, the impact on families’ child care needs, and student performance.4,5 

What types of public schools 

have shortened school weeks, 

with fewer than 5 days per week? 

Schools were asked how many days 

were in a typical school week for 

students in grades 1–12. Nationally, 

about 1.9 percent of public schools 

have fewer than 5 days per school 

week (figure 1). This was more 

common at alternative/other schools 

than regular schools (7.3 and 1.6 

percent, respectively; not shown in 

figure, see supplemental tables).

Shortened school weeks were more 

prevalent at rural, western, and smaller 

schools.

A larger percentage of schools in rural 

areas (4.6 percent) than schools in 

towns, suburbs, and cities (2.2, 0.8, 

and 0.6 percent, respectively) had 

shortened school weeks.

FIGURE 1. Percentage of public schools with fewer than 5 days in the average school week, by selected 

school characteristics: 2017–18 

 

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent 

and fewer than 50 percent of the estimate). 

‡ Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater (i.e., the standard error is 50 percent or more of the 

estimate). 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Data File,” 

2017–18. 

Data in this report are from the 2017–18 NTPS, a nationally representative sample survey. To learn more, 

visit https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/. For questions about content or to view this report online, go to 

https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020011.
Schools in the West (5.3 percent) were more likely 

to have a shortened school week than schools 

in the Midwest or South (1.4 and 0.8 percent, 

respectively).6

A larger percentage of schools with fewer than 

200 students (7.1 percent) than schools with 

200–749 students or schools with 750 or more 

students (1.1 and 0.6 percent, respectively) 

reported a shortened school week.

Shortened school weeks were more prevalent 

at combined schools (7.0 percent) than at 

primary, middle, or high schools (0.9, 0.5, and 

3.3 percent, respectively). 

In what states did at least 10 percent 

of schools have a shortened student 

school week, with fewer than 5 days 

per week? 

 

Although the national percentage of public 

schools with a shortened school week was 

about 1.9 percent, there were eight states, 

largely located in the western United States, 

where more than 10 percent of schools had a 

shortened school week: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, 

and Wyoming (table 1). Among all schools in 

the United States with a shortened school week, 

about 66.8 percent were in the West and about 

67.9 percent were in these eight states.

Furthermore, in two of these eight states—Idaho 

(17.5 percent) and Wyoming (19.5 percent)—

more than 15 percent of schools had a shortened 

school week. 

In five states, the percentage of schools with a 

shortened school week ranged from 2.5 percent 

(Missouri) to 8.4 percent (Nevada). 

In all other states, it was estimated that fewer than 

1 percent of schools had a shortened school week 

or data did not meet National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES) standards for reporting.

Table 1. Percentage of public schools with shortened 

school weeks, by state: 2017–18 

State

Percent of public schools with 

fewer than 5 days per week 

Wyoming 19.5

Idaho 17.5

Colorado 14.4

New Mexico 13.0

Oregon 12.7 !

South Dakota 12.2

Arizona 12.0

Oklahoma 11.1

Nevada 8.4 !

Montana 5.9 !

Minnesota 3.3 !

North Dakota 3.2 !

Missouri 2.5 !

California 0.8 !

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 

30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and fewer than 

50 percent of the estimate).

NOTE: For states not shown, either the estimate rounds to 0 or reporting standards are not 

met because the coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater (i.e., 

the standard error is 50 percent or more of the estimate) or the response rate is below 50 

percent. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Data File,” 2017–18. 

Endnotes 

1 Although about 1.9 percent of public schools and 2.6 percent of private schools had fewer than 5 days in a typical school week, this report focuses on public schools. For more 

information on private schools, please see the supplemental table at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/. 

2 Walker, T. (2019). After Moving to a Four-Day School Week, There May Be No Going Back. neaToday. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from http://neatoday.org/2019/03/29/4-dayschool-week-here-to-stay/. 

3 National Conference of State Legislatures. (2019). Four-Day School Week Overview. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/school-calendar-fourday-school-week-overview.aspx. 

4 Heyward, G. (2018). What Do We Actually Know About the Four-Day School Week? Center on Reinventing Public Education. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from https://www.crpe.org/

sites/default/files/crpe-what-do-we-know-about-four-day-week.pdf. 

5 Long, C. (2019). Four-Day School Weeks More Popular, But Impact on Students and Educators Unclear. neaToday. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from http://neatoday.org/2016/ 

01/14/four-day-school-week-pro-con/. 

6 Data for Northeast schools did not meet NCES reporting standards. 

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Data Point presents 

information on education topics of current interest. It was authored by 

Rebecca Goldring of Westat. Estimates based on samples are subject to 

sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically 

significant. All stated differences are statistically significant at the .05 level, 

with no adjustments for multiple comparisons. In the design, conduct, and 

data processing of NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of 

nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data 

processing error, or other systematic error. 

Shortened School Weeks in U.S. Public Schools