Proposed School Calendars

Dear School Family,

We are sharing the proposed calendars for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. The Governing Board will vote on these at the meeting on Thursday, October 24.

Nearly 300 people responded to the calendar survey, and the results show a near-even split regarding start and end dates. About half of respondents preferred a July start and an end before Memorial Day, while the other half preferred an August start with the year extending beyond Memorial Day. Two-thirds of respondents strongly supported the inclusion of week-long breaks in both October and February. Both proposed calendars allow for the school year to end before Memorial Day, with only the 2025-2026 calendar requiring a July start. For the 2026-2027 school year, the calendar allows us to start in August and end pre-Memorial Day.

For the upcoming year, APS will begin on a Friday, while our school will start on the Tuesday before. In my experience, the first week of school is crucial for students and teachers to set routines and expectations. A Friday start can be disruptive, as one day isn’t sufficient to establish these rhythms. Starting on a Tuesday allows for a smoother transition, with a full four-day week to settle into the school year.

Both proposed calendars maintain the approach we’ve used this year, with asynchronous learning days on November and March voting days, and our week-long breaks aligning with the APS calendar.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out or stop by my office hours at Grant Park Coffeehouse tomorrow morning from 7:30-8:30am.

All best,

Alastair
apullen@atlncs.org