Back to school? The first day is already here in some states

The weather outside may still be sultry, but for some students in the US, summer is already coming to an end

Depending on where you live, children in your community could be starting school this week, while others have a whole month or more before they have to run to the store for new backpacks and pencils. In fact, research shows that there is more than a month between the earliest and latest start dates of the new school year.

In the southeast, for example, children are returning to school before the end of July, while others in areas like the northeast are still in the middle of summer.

On Thursday, July 25, all students in Lamar County, Mississippi were back in school. Atlanta Public Schools will welcome kids back on August 1, marking the first wave of the school year. However, students in Buffalo, New York, won’t see the inside of a classroom until September 1 or later, while children in the Chicago Public School district will return to classes on August 26.

Here’s what you need to know about the dates the new school year starts across the country.

More: Are schools charging too much for back-to-school shopping? Many parents say yes.

When will schools in the country reopen?

A 2019 analysis of more than 13,000 public school districts by the Pew Research Center found that schools in the South and Southwest generally start back in session earlier than schools in the Northwest and along the East Coast.

Pew found the following:

By mid-August, nearly all public school students in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee were back in classrooms.
However, in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states, no district went back until late August.
In some districts, where a modified calendar applies throughout the year, the season starts in late July.
Some students in New Jersey didn’t return to school until the second week of September.

Why do summer holidays differ so much from coast to coast?

You may have heard the popular explanation that school schedules were historically based largely on agricultural culture. It is a common belief that education had to be timed to the cycle of crop growth and harvest, meaning that southern children were needed on the farm during the most labor-intensive times of the season, while northern children already lived in a more industrialized environment that did not require the same level of farm labor.

This meant, in theory, that children in the South would leave school earlier and return earlier. In reality, however, it is more likely that those children who help on the farm are needed in the spring during planting and in the fall during harvest, not in the sultry summer months.

There may be some truth to this statement, but experts say it’s more likely that most school schedules were tailored to the needs of the community.

“Agricultural cycles are commonly cited as the reason for summer vacations, which supposedly allowed young people to help with responsibilities on family farms,” Julie Gorlewski, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Teacher Education at the University at Buffalo, previously told USA TODAY. “However, before the standardization efforts of the late 19^e In the last century, school calendars reflected the needs of their communities.”

What factors play a role in choosing dates for the start of the school year?

Other important considerations include the weather (before air conditioning, you didn’t want to be in a school building in the South in the middle of summer), local and national holidays, collective bargaining agreements, and government funding and regulations.

For example, the New York State Department of Education sets limits on when schools can be open. In New York, the school year can’t start earlier than September 1 and can’t last past June 30. If public school districts want state aid or funding, they must follow these guidelines. The state also requires a minimum of 180 days of instruction per school year.

“In short, decisions about school calendars reflect the kind of tension between central and local government that characterizes and sustains a democratic republic,” Gorlewski said.

Parents and teachers give their opinion

“My kids go back the day after Labor Day, and I like starting in September because we can enjoy the summer,” said Julia Fuller, whose children attend public school in Jefferson County, New York. “I would love to have more breaks throughout the year, alleviating the need for child care two months at a time.”

Emily Simril, a former teacher and mother of three children who attend school in Greenville, South Carolina, says she prefers the later start dates common in Southern states.

“As a parent and a former teacher, I think the earlier start date works well,” she said. “For all teachers and high school students, it’s ideal to finish the second quarter/first semester before winter break.”

“We’re ready!” Albany Middle School Principal Andre Simmons also told USA TODAY. Students at his school in Dougherty County, Georgia, will return to class on July 31, slightly earlier than the usual August start date. But he thinks the adjustment is better overall for the school’s teachers and students.

“After the pandemic, we realized that we need to spread things out because we have an emotional, mental health crisis,” he said. “So we need to give people more time, especially teachers.”

And while you might expect all students to be dreading the thought of going back, Simmons said some of his students have told him they’re ready. “I think they miss their friends and they’re just ready to be back,” Simmons said.