Oftentimes, many students, teachers, and parents are quick to say no when it comes to year long school. However, it’s becoming more popular for many school districts and can be very beneficial. Georgetown County School District, 50 miles south of Horry County, switched to a year-round school beginning fall of 2023.
Anniston Hite, freshman from Waccamaw High School (WHS), commented, “I think it’s very beneficial because it gives us a good amount of academics and a break. It’s affected my academics in a positive way but it’s also bad because our summer is cut shorter.”
According to “usnews.com,” year- long still takes the traditional 180 days but spreads it out more evenly and over a course of a year instead of a couple months. Many schools use the 45/15 method. This includes students going to school for 45 days that is followed by a 15- day break. However, students will still get three days off during some breaks; one example is Thanksgiving.
Sophomore Elliot Abernethy from WHS also shared, “I think year-round school can be a little beneficial just because my grades have been better this year and the breaks are nice despite our summer break is shorter, we can’t get a full fan and full summer experience which is needed while we’re young.”
However, year round school has some complications.
The site “parents.com,” mentioned a few concerns. Children in year round school may not be able to participate in certain summer camps, sports, and programs. Multi-tracking programs mean that parents could possibly have children that are on different schedules. Another really important concern is teenagers who are going to college. They could have a hard time finding a job and making money if they don’t have an entire summer to work and save.
After surveying students around the campus of Carolina Forest High School if we should switch to a year long school, almost everyone said no.
Isabella Saylor, a sophomore, stated, “School is too long already. 180 days is about half of the year, and if it was double then I feel it’d be more stressful since students wouldn’t get long breaks, especially summer.”
Sophomore Kade Taylor think’s that year long could be beneficial.
Taylor expressed, “I think knowledge would be retained much better. The first few weeks of the year are reviewing previous material, so this could be converted into more in-depth study of topics.”
Many students of CFHS, however, have made it clear that if CF were to switch to year long, they would all consider transferring.
A year-long school system can provide a more balanced educational experience for all students. In the end, whether year long school is the right choice depends on the needs of the teachers and students.
