Christmas or Winter Break. Spring Break. Holidays off. “Teachers’ Inservice” days. And, last but not least, the mother of all vacations: Summer Vacation.
These are the breaks students look forward to as they navigate their education. But if the true purpose of school is to prepare students for the real world—a world that doesn’t offer summer vacations unless you’re very wealthy or return to school as a teacher—why do we continue to give students so much time off? If education is as important as we all agree it is, why do students get so many days away from it?
If the rest of the working world doesn’t get to enjoy this kind of time-friendly schedule, maybe it’s time to ask why students—who are training for the working world—and teachers still do.
Summer Vacation: What Gives?
Anyone familiar with the U.S. school system knows about the giant hole in the calendar: no school in the summer. For the three hottest months of the year, students and teachers aren’t expected to work, study, do homework—in fact, they aren’t required to do anything at all.
Why does that gaping hole exist?
In the 19th century, many children—especially in rural areas—were let out of school in spring and fall to help with planting and harvesting. In contrast, children in urban areas often attended school year-round on a more consistent schedule.
Eventually, the push for a unified school calendar took hold. The logical compromise was summer. It aligned well with warm weather and didn’t fully interrupt the planting or harvest seasons. That tradition stuck—and has continued for over 150 years.
Which raises the question: why does this system still exist? The truth is, summer vacation persists mostly out of tradition. It’s deeply rooted in our culture. And frankly, most people—teachers, students, and parents alike—are used to it. If your job came with three months off every year, would you volunteer to give that up?
Other Days Off
While summer accounts for the biggest chunk of student free time, it’s not the only break. In fact, most U.S. school years include only about 180 instructional days—less than half the calendar year. That means students enjoy substantial time off even during the academic year.
Subtract weekends, and what’s left are various weekday breaks: official holidays, yes, but also school-specific days off like teacher workdays, “in-service” days, and planning days. These aren’t typically days off for teachers, but they do leave students at home—because there’s no one available to teach them.
Which brings us to the question: what if students simply went to school more?
Would that really be such a bad thing?
Getting Students in School More
No one seriously disputes that education is crucial to a child’s development. Yet even strong advocates of national education systems support a model that has kids in school for less than half the year.
Granted, children aren’t adults, and breaks are important for their mental and emotional well-being. But many argue that more rigorous academic schedules could yield better results—and that the current number of school days in the U.S. may be one reason American students struggle to compete internationally.
Take South Korea, for instance. Their summer vacation lasts only about six weeks, from July to August—half the length of a typical U.S. break. Scotland’s school year follows a similar pattern.
It’s hard to argue that Scottish or Korean children are overworked or deprived. In fact, cutting back on extended breaks may help prevent the “summer slide,” where students forget material learned the previous year. Too much downtime can lead to stagnation, boredom, and underperformance.
Is More Discipline Needed?
American adults are among the hardest-working in the developed world, often with fewer vacation days than their European peers. But our students? Not so much. Their academic schedules are far more relaxed, leaving a disconnect between childhood learning and adult responsibility.
Perhaps there’s room to strike a better balance—challenging students more consistently throughout the year, while also advocating for adults to receive more vacation time to decompress from work stress.
After all, education’s job is to prepare children for adulthood—and in the U.S., that means preparing them for an American adulthood. There’s certainly room for more school hours, more academic engagement, and ultimately, more opportunities for growth.
If the education system is going to evolve, it has to question outdated norms—like those formed in the 1800s—and explore just how capable our kids really are.
8 Responses
no, just no that is not ok that’s 1260 just sitting at a desk every school year. summer also helps us change from grade to grade
we don’t need more than 1260 sitting at a desk
Where are you guys getting 1260? That number isn’t mentioned in this article
1. All these days off is so disruptive to kids and the learning process.
2. Other professionals have far less paid time off than teachers. Yes teaching is a difficult job but so are a lot of
positions in the wok place. I have far too many educators get real and admit that they are in the job for all
the paid time off.
I have the highest regards for Dr. Martin Luther King but I bet he’d agree, his day of honor would benefit much more if kids were in school learning about his legacy.
My son went to daycare all through the summer for a few years before jk … And as a single /solo parent (his father is deceased) the switch to normal school has been brutal and I literally am unable to work because of it. It’s totally unfair to parents and does not prepare kids for the normal world at all. Not to mention it makes our home life extremely stressful and is devestating to our financial situation and quality of life. They need to re-do the this whole archaic outdated system from the bottom up so that it’s actually productive. Maybe add some classes that should have always been taught to the schedule to make up the extra time. How bout teaching them how to do taxes, buy a house, create and stick to a budget, be an entrepreneur, mindfulness/self care, cooking, critical thinking, first aid, career counseling, how to stay happily married , meditation, to name just a very small few.
Very good article. I agree our children need to be in school longer and a much more structured schedule where there is no longer constant days off. The November school schedule is a joke. Constant half days for parent/teacher conferences, Election day, a 2 day Union conference which maybe 1% of the teachers go to and then there’s Thabksgiving. This is a prime example where the current system fails the kids. Why can’t teachers work the “in service days” on weekends? Why take away the primary reason you a hired which is to teach the children , to learn something new. All these interruptions can and should be addressed.
Eliminate in service days so kids have FULL learning day. Union Conferences on weekends. All parent/teacher conferences are AFTER schooling hours. Minimize religious holidays. There too many that aren’t relevant for 90% of students. If you celebrate you get an excused absensce. Extend the year at least a other full week. Other adjustments need to be made as well but would take forever to write. We are falling way behind in teaching our children and we need to act now
As a single parent I searched for this topic after hearing on the news that yet another holiday will be added for observing whatever. This is getting out of control!! In a long enough time line there will be mostly holidays and teachers union will back it and at the same time teachers will complain about the salary being too low. Every time there is another holiday I have to make alternative plans for my son (usually most are full) work from home if there is that type of work (which means my son is just playing on his device or watching something. Real useful holiday) or take a day off. My company has asked me to pay more into health insurance that is also overpriced broken system because of all the time lost. I wonder just how long a teachers day is and why they cannot do teacher admin work on those days the school is closed or parent teacher meeting after working hours. I work at night many times and I don’t get all those days off they do yet alone that loooong summer break. Days are shorter and little by little more days closed for every religion or believe has creeped in that we need to step back and realize this is out of controls.
Like the previous post mentioned, If you really want to observe that day, go t should be a day at school learning about it and not another excuse for a day to sleep late.
Girlll let me have my days off… there for mental health….