By Allie Singh ‘25, Commentary Editor

Image Courtesy of OkienStudio on Etsy

As we navigate the choppy waters of high school trying to stay afloat amid the flood of assignments, projects and exams, we may find ourselves reflecting on the carefree, leisure-filled days of summer — the days we were demanded to embrace by our teachers and parents at the end of the prior school year. When I look back, I recall my appreciation for the restful weeks in June right after school ended. Pretty soon after, these weeks were followed by a packed schedule, with a summer math program that I was eager to attend and hobbies that I was determined to pursue. By the beginning of August, however, most of these activities concluded, but four full weeks of summer remained. Even with a vacation, day trips with friends, summer reading and  a Grey’s Anatomy binge-watch, I dare to say that I was getting bored. So bored that I began to wonder if there was a better way to structure summer breaks to achieve spans of relaxation and recovery, limit school-year stress and fatigue, and still achieve academic success. 

Schools in the United States have historically embraced a 10-month school year followed by a two-month summer respite. There are various explanations for the origin of this structure, including the need for children to assist on farms in our once-agrarian society, or the desire for urbanites to flee to cooler climates during the hot summer months due to sparse air conditioning. However, even as society evolves, the extended summer vacation lives on. Research has shown that some degree of learning loss or “summer slide” occurs when children are not engaged in educational activities for long periods of time. According to a study conducted by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University in May 2020, elementary school students lost between 17% and 34% of the prior year’s learning in math and English over the summer. In addition, as more households are led by working parents, it is costly and difficult to keep students engaged and occupied for 10 weeks. 

Yet, the 10-month school year with a prolonged summer break persists, with only about 10 percent of public schools in the United States running on a year-round calendar. While these schools generally have the same total number of school days, the days are redistributed more evenly throughout the year. Instead of a nine-week summer break, these schools have a four to five-week summer break in addition to week-long breaks in the fall, winter and spring. Other districts have utilized a 45/15 system, where school is in session for 45 days, followed by a 15-day break, with this sequence repeating four times throughout the year.

Thinking back to the long cold weeks of winter, perhaps an additional week or two off from school could be the boost needed to recharge and finish the year strong. I decided to see if others shared my view that a shorter summer with additional vacation days reallocated to other parts of the school year was an attractive proposal. I surveyed my advisor group and all of my cross country teammates. Interestingly, I received an almost 100 percent response rate, clearly showing passion for the matter at hand. The feedback was an overwhelming, resounding, NO! Only about 15 percent of the respondents wanted to climb aboard this sinking ship with me. My classmates recounted their desire for the longest summer possible to detox, partake in extracurriculars and secure a summer job. Others noted their eagerness to participate in summer family traditions and several indicated that a long summer is simply a “tradition” that should not be disturbed. One classmate jokingly stated that they enjoyed not seeing their classmates for a sustained period and another nervously wondered if this was actually being considered at NA. I am unaware of any such movement. 

No matter what the origins of the extended summer break may be, it is an ingrained custom for students — a time to pursue other interests, join the workforce, go to camp, spend time with family and even sit with their boredom. Furthermore, a study conducted at the University of Texas Austin in 2016 on the effects of year-round school calendars on learning did not find empirical evidence suggesting that significant educational improvements occurred. Even if there is some degree of “summer slide” and additional time is needed to get back on the learning track, it appears that students, parents and policymakers are not ready to embrace a change to this long-standing tradition. It appears that I am going to have to come up with some new ideas to thwart my end of summer boredom.