Spartanburg High School (SHS) is making a change to the 2026-27 school year calendar. SHS will shorten the summer break to provide students with more breaks throughout the school year.
The 2026-27 school year will start on Thursday, Aug. 6. The early start will give students an extra break on Oct. 15-16, before winter break, allowing a mental break for students halfway through the first semester. In February, students will be given a week-long break from Feb. 15-19. The schedule will continue to include staff development days that will provide staff with the opportunity to create instruction for students and collaborate with their co-workers. The school year will wrap up on May 28, with a half day.
According to the Spartanburg District 7 website, the new calendar will allow students and faculty to rest and recharge. This could improve students’ academic performance and success by aiming to reduce burnout and improve mental health. The short breaks address long and tiring stretches of school and give students something to look forward to. The breaks will help with the burnout by stopping prolonged stress that many students get from challenging classes.
Christopher Johnson (11) is excited for next year’s schedule change.
“It makes me feel like we have more time to relax and breathe, especially since I am a student who deals with strenuous classes. I feel like this new schedule will benefit my performance as a student since I will have more time off to think about my work. This is due to the many breaks that maybe next year, if I am dealt with something challenging, I can contact another student outside of the school environment and ask them for help, and I have more time to think about and look over my work,” Johnson said.
The school district also aims to improve students’ academics. Reducing the summer break will decrease the “summer slide” of learning loss. “Summer slide” is the academic skills and knowledge that students lose over the summer, which can cause students to struggle once back in school. The new schedule will enable students to start a new school year with a fresher mind.
Abigail Blanton (11) is prepared for the changing schedule.
“I think that the schedule next year is going to benefit students more and not stress them out as much. I think it will benefit students’ performances, and the breaks can help catch up on work,” Blanton said.
SHS also hopes that the regular and short breaks will improve attendance. Students would be provided with times they can use to rest or go on vacation instead of missing school. This will give students more class time and help them stay on track with their classes. Improving attendance can also help ensure that students will graduate on time.
While many parents have concerns about childcare challenges, District 7 has ensured to contact the schedule change to community partners, such as the YMCA, who can help out with childcare.
Eugenia Dachenhausen is a guidance counselor at Spartan High.
“In my opinion, the biggest challenge will be adjusting to an early school start date. This first year, the summer will be shorter, and the school year will seem longer. However, countering this, there are more breaks during the school year, which will help promote student well-being. It was stated that long stretches without a break can impact mental health and overall well-being. Allowing for the additional breaks should benefit students and staff,” Dachenhausen said.
