How Many Days and Hours of School Time Each US State Requires By Grade (2024)

Time never seems to move more slowly than when watching the clock count down to the end of another day of school. How many hours is a whole school day? In America, that depends on each state’s required instructional time policies. For example, the national average high school day length is 6 hours and 38.4 minutes long, while Texas averages 7 hours and Washington averages just more than 6 hours. The team at PlaygroundEquipment.com has created a chart to visualize required instructional time by state as a reference for parents, caregivers, educators, and students themselves. Here are the required school days by state and the required school hours by state:

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How Many Days Is a School Year?

The average days in the school year in the United States will vary by state, but the majority of states (29 to be exact) require 180 school days.

What State Has the Most Days of School?

According to the data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, Illinois and North Carolina top the chart at 185 required school days.

What State Has the Fewest Required School Days?

Besides the states that do not have a required minimum number of school days each year, Colorado has the fewest required school days in the United States, at 160. States with no minimum school day requirements are Arkansas, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

What States Have Four-Day School Weeks?

Several states have introduced four day school weeks, including Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Oregon. In fact, 60 percent of Colorado’s districts and around 40 percent of New Mexico and Oregon’s districts have implemented a four-day school week. These schedules most often get rid of classes on Friday, and they usually add around an hour per day when school is in session. Four-day school week schedules achieve an average of around 148 school days per year, which is 32 days fewer than the national average of 180 school days.

Does Recess Count as Instructional Time?

This depends on the state. We examined each state’s recess and instructional time policies to determine which states allow recess to be counted toward instructional time, and these include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. How much recess can be applied toward required instructional time varies by state, but it is definitely a step in the right direction!

Does Recess Take Away From Learning Time?

Many experts believe that recess can be profoundly beneficial for a student’s academic performance, behavior, life skills, and more. Check out our infographic on the benefits of recess to find out more. We also did an extensive analysis of recess policies across the United States — check out how your state compares.

Required Instruction Time by State

State

School Days

Instruction Hours

Alabama

180

1,080

Alaska

180

K-3 = 740

Grades 4-12 = 900

Arizona

180

Half-day kindergarten = 356

Grades 1-3 = 712

Grades 4-6 = 890

Grades 7-8 = 1,000

Grades 9-12 = 720

Arkansas

178

No requirement

California

180

Kindergarten = 600

Grades 1-3 = 840

Grades 4-8 = 900

Grades 9-12 = 1,080

Colorado

160

Half-day kindergarten = 435

Full-day kindergarten = 870

Grades 1-5 = 968

Grades 6-12 = 1,056

Connecticut

180

Half-day kindergarten = 450

Full-day kindergarten = 900

Grades 1-12 = 900

Delaware

No requirement

K-11 = 1,060

Grade 12 = 1,032

Florida

180

K-3 = 720

Grades 4-12 = 900

Georgia

180

No requirement

Hawaii

180

1,080

Idaho

District option

Kindergarten = 450

Grades 1-3 = 810

Grades 4-8 = 900

Grades 9-12 = 990

Illinois

180

No requirement

Indiana

180

No requirement

Iowa

180

1,080

Kansas

Kindergarten-11 = 186

Grade 12 = 181

Kindergarten = 465

Grades 1-11 = 1,116

Grade 12 = 1,086

Kentucky

170

1,062

Louisiana

177

1,062

Maine

175

No requirement

Maryland

180

Elementary and middle/junior high schools = 1,080

Public high schools = 1,170

Massachusetts

180

Kindergarten = 425

Grades 1-5 = 900

Grades 6-12 = 990

Michigan

180

1,098

Minnesota

165

Half-day kindergarten = 425

Full-day kindergarten = 850

Grades 1-6 = 935

Grades 7-12 = 1,020

Mississippi

180

No requirement

Missouri

5-day week = 174

4-day week = 142

Kindergarten = 522

Grades 1-12 = 1,044

Nebraska

No requirement

Kindergarten = 400

Grades 1-8 = 1,032

Grades 9-12 = 1,080

Nevada

180

No requirement

New Hampshire

180

Kindergarten = 450

Grades 1-5 = 945

Grades 6-12 = 990

New Jersey

180

No requirement

New Mexico

No requirement

Half-day kindergarten = 450

Full-day kindergarten = 990

Grades 1-6 = 990

Grades 7-12 = 1,080

New York

180

No requirement

North Carolina

185

1,025

North Dakota

175

K-8 = 952

Grades 9-12 = 1,038

Ohio

District option

Half-day kindergarten = 455

Full-day kindergarten = 910

Grades 1-6 = 910

Grades 7-12 = 1,001

Oklahoma

180

1,080

Oregon

No requirement

Half-day kindergarten = 450

Full-day kindergarten = 900

Grades 1-8 = 900

Grades 9-11 = 990

Grade 12 = 966

Pennsylvania

180

Kindergarten = 450

Grades 1-8 = 900

Grades 9-12 = 990

Rhode Island

180

1,080

South Carolina

180

No requirement

South Dakota

District option

Kindergarten = 438

Grades 1-5 = 875

Grades 6-12 = 963

Tennessee

180

No requirement

Texas

No requirement

1,260

Utah

180

Kindergarten = 450

Grade 1 = 810

Grades 2-12 = 990

Vermont

175

No requirement

Virginia

180

Kindergarten = 540

Grades 1-12 = 990

Washington

180

Kindergarten = 1,000

Grades 1-8 = 1,000

Grades 9-12 = 1,080

West Virginia

180

No requirement

Wisconsin

No requirement

Kindergarten = 437

Grades 1-6 = 1,050

Grades 7-12 = 1,137

Wyoming

175

Kindergarten = 450

Elementary = 900

Middle/junior high = 1,050

High school = 1,100

Edited by: Ben Thompson

How Many Days and Hours of School Time Each US State Requires By Grade (2024)

FAQs

How Many Days and Hours of School Time Each US State Requires By Grade? ›

North Carolina stands out distinctly, mandating the highest number of school days per year at 185, four days more than its closest counterpart, Kansas, which requires 181 days.

What state requires the most school days? ›

North Carolina stands out distinctly, mandating the highest number of school days per year at 185, four days more than its closest counterpart, Kansas, which requires 181 days.

How many states have 180 days of school? ›

Thirty-one states plus the District of Columbia require at least 180 days of instruction. Fifteen states place parameters around school start and/or finish dates. Twenty-seven states indicate that local school districts are to determine start and/or finish dates.

How many hours of school are there in a day in the US? ›

The average school day in the US is between 6 and 7 hours per day, usually from around 8:00 am until somewhere around 2:00 pm. Most states require about 180 days of school per year, with different breakdowns of how those days are scheduled.

How many days of school are required in the US? ›

In the U.S., 180 days of school is most common, but length of school day varies by state. School has started in most of the United States. On average, K-12 public schools will be in session close to 180 days this year, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Education Commission of the States.

What states have only 4 days of school? ›

What States Have Four-Day School Weeks? Several states have introduced four day school weeks, including Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Oregon. In fact, 60 percent of Colorado's districts and around 40 percent of New Mexico and Oregon's districts have implemented a four-day school week.

How many school days are required in Texas? ›

Add up to 30 additional days of instruction in addition to the 180 instructional days in its regular academic calendar. Have a certified teacher deliver at least two hours of instruction on designated ADSY days.

How many school days are required in California? ›

Education Code Section 46200, school Districts that offer less than 180 days of instruction are noncompliant with California Education Code (Charter Schools 175 days).

How long is a school day in Ohio? ›

[4] By statute, a school day for students in grades 1 to 6 must include at least five hours, with two 15-minute recesses permitted, and a school day for students in grades 7 to 12 must be at least five hours, with no provisions for recesses.

What state has the shortest school year? ›

Colorado's 160-day requirement is the lowest, while Kansas keeps kids in school the longest at 186 days. By Matt Zalaznick. September 11, 2023.. Kentucky follows with 170 days, and Minnesota and Colorado have the shortest academic years with 165 and 160 days, respectively.

How long is a school day in Florida? ›

The total amount of time in school is calculated based on seven hours per day, five days per week. This equates to 2100 minutes per week.

What country has the shortest school hours? ›

Typically, the Finnish school day starts anywhere from 9 to 9:45 a.m., and students typically spend only about five hours a day in the classroom. What's more, Finnish students typically have little to no homework.

How many school days are required in Illinois? ›

The Public School District Calendar prescribed in Section 10-19 of the School Code mandates a minimum of 185 days in the proposed school calendar to ensure 176 days of student attendance.

How many school days are required in Michigan? ›

In accordance with current Michigan law the following are some of the guidelines for implementing a Balanced Calendar: Balanced Calendar schools are required to meet 180 days of instructional time and 1098 instructional hours.

How many school days are required in Oregon? ›

(8) There shall be no fewer than 265 consecutive calendar days between the first and last instructional day of each school year at each grade level.

What US state has the least school days? ›

Colorado's 160-day requirement is the lowest, while Kansas keeps kids in school the longest at 186 days. Students in other states may not have as long a school day as yours do. Or, they may be getting even more instructional time, according to a new analysis.

What place has the longest school days? ›

Taiwan leads with the longest school day globally, clocking in at 10 hours. This extensive timeframe is indicative of the country's rigorous academic culture. Following closely is China, with students dedicating about 9 hours and 30 minutes to school each day.

What is the longest school break in America? ›

Generally, schools in the US have a summer break that lasts between 8 and 12 weeks, typically from late May or early June to late August or early September.

Who has the longest school holidays? ›

Q: Which country has the most school holidays? In most countries, the longest break in the school year is during summer, lasting between 5 and 14 weeks. In Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia, summer holidays are normally three months, compared to six to eight weeks in Britain, The Netherlands and Germany.

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