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Houston ISD families will need to start their back-to-school shopping earlier this summer.
Texas’ largest district will begin classes two weeks sooner than usual in the upcoming academic year after HISD’s board of managers voted unanimously Thursday to approve a new calendar for 2024-25. The schedule includes 180 days of instruction, eight more than this year, as part of Superintendent Mike Miles’ plan to help students make up ground in their learning.
The vote followed a months-long process that included gaining “District of Innovation” status and polling the HISD community about their priorities for the calendar. Classes will begin Aug. 12 and end on June 4, 2025.
“Our kids, who are behind on the whole, need more time,” Miles said. “A lot can be done with two weeks of school.”
what's new in this story
- Debates over extending the HISD school year have been ongoing for months, but now the new calendar is final.
- Parents and teachers shared their perspectives, showing how the change has divided the community.
However, many families opposed the move, voicing concerns that students need time to decompress, campus buildings may be too hot and teachers deserve a longer break. Under the new calendar, most teachers will have about eight weeks of summer break, while new teachers will have closer to seven and principals will have six.
Almost all Houston-area school districts start their school year in mid-August, though most hold about 170 to 175 days of classes.
Martina Strbuncelj, the parent of two kids planning to attend Hogg Middle School next year, worries about the implications of extending the school year into a month typically marked by extreme heat. HISD had over 1,600 air conditioning issues during the first two weeks of school this year, with Hogg reporting 15 problems.
“The little kids, they can’t have recess when it’s 100 degrees outside,” Strbuncelj said. “I don’t know how this is gonna play out. My prediction is not well.”
With the lengthened work year for teachers, Miles has said teachers will receive a “competitive compensation package,” though his administration has not yet detailed a proposal for additional pay.
“If you’re gonna pay teachers more, you may wanna let them know right now,” said Casey Crisp, a parent of two elementary schoolers at HISD’s Briarmeadow Charter School. Crisp feels “cynical” about the new calendar, which now overlaps with his family’s planned vacation to Switzerland in August.
HISD students historically have spent less time in class than nearly all other Texas districts before state standardized tests given in the spring. HISD test takers traditionally score slightly below state average on the exams. Sinclair Elementary School STEM Lab teacher Bradley Quentin agreed with Miles’ argument that more classroom time will be good for students, but he wondered if those extra days could be found throughout the year by reducing teacher training days.
“Strictly speaking, I'm not opposed to the kids having more time in class, but I feel like there are plenty of days in that calendar that could be instructional days rather than student holidays,” Quentin said. “But I mean, as things go, the calendar is kind of like the least of my worries. It’s down on the list in terms of my overall satisfaction with the district.”
HISD said it received feedback on the new calendar from over 4,000 staff and community members via a survey. However, district officials did not release the number of respondents who supported or opposed the proposal.
“The survey allowed people to actually give complete and thoughtful input that was considered by the district,” Board President Audrey Momanaee said.
The Abdelraoufsinno has maintained its own survey for HISD community members to share their thoughts on the proposal to lengthen the academic year. About 1 in 5 out of 94 respondents said they favored more days of class. And just one out of 37 respondents who identified as a school staff member said they favored the idea.
Asher Lehrer-Small covers Houston ISD and Miranda Dunlap covers suburban education. They would love to hear your tips, questions and story ideas. Reach Asher at [email protected] and Miranda at [email protected].
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