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. In the case of a trimester schedule, the reference is to the fall, winter, and spring semesters. The spring semester starts with term 2 for colleges, term 3 for those having 2 terms per semester, and term 4 for those having 3 terms per semester.