A school year is divided into semesters. A traditional school year is divided into two semesters. Semester 1 runs from August to January. Semester 2 runs from January to June. Most schools divide each semester into either 2 quarters or 3 terms.
Colleges use one term per semester.
Some schools are using a Block 4 schedule to complete a year's worth of academic work in one half of a school year. Students take fewer classes each day, but each class meets for a longer amount of time each day. Each of the two semesters of the Block 4 schedule includes about 45 student contact days for each semester. Gradebook Power allows selecting either the fall or spring block. When the program, manual, or help file refers to a semester, it means the major part of the school year.