School Year Calendar Development

Historically, the school year calendar in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District has started in late August or early September leading up to the Labor Day holiday. This is late compared to our neighboring school districts. In fact, PYLUSD was the last unified school district to begin instruction in Orange County for the 2022-2023 school year. Nine unified school districts started the school year two weeks prior to PYLUSD and two unified school districts started one week prior to PYLUSD.

Each year, PYLUSD teachers, classified staff, and administrators work together to develop school calendars for the years ahead. While instruction and learning are the primary considerations, this group also considers past history and tradition. This year we will also consider feedback from the community collected in this survey. It is important to note that our calendar for the 2023-2024 school year is already set and is available to view online at www.pylusd.org/schoolcalendar. The earliest a change can take place would be the 2024-2025 school year.

Benefits of Starting Earlier

There are several benefits to moving the school year calendar start date to earlier, including:

• The first semester will end prior to winter break, which will afford students and families relaxed time together, versus high school students studying for semester exams that occur shortly after their return to school in January.
• More instructional time for high school students to prepare for specialized exams (AP, IB, Cambridge AICE).
• Our start date would be more in line with other school districts across the county. 
• Earlier posting of final grades would allow more time for transcripts to be submitted and considered for college and university entrance. Some colleges and universities give priority to students who provide their transcripts early in the winter. 
• Greater summer opportunities for students of all ages to participate in camps/programs, community college courses and orientations, internships, and jobs, which are often filled by students who begin summer earlier. 
• Athletics and fall activities (CIF sports, band, ASB, etc.) would start closer to the opening day of school, which would provide longer summers to students who typically return to school early to participate in these programs. This will also improve school connectedness and fundraising opportunities.

Challenges to Starting Earlier

The district recognizes that there are some challenges to an earlier start date, including:

• This shift benefits high school students more than elementary and middle school students. (But remember, all elementary and middle school students will eventually benefit from this switch as they move on to be high school students!)
• During the year(s) when we move the calendar start date earlier, the summer leading up to the new school year will be one week shorter. This will only be the case during the transition year(s) as summer recess will start earlier.

In Moving Forward

The district asked for input from stakeholders in a survey about this topic in February 2023. Former Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews shared the results of the survey with the Board of Education on March 14. A video of that discussion, as well as the one that he led in December 2022, is included below.

 

Former Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews has led several discussions about the school year calendar at Board of Education Meetings. In December, he presented preliminary information about moving the school year start date to earlier as well as the benefits and challenges to doing so. In March, he shared the results of a survey about the school year calendar and led additional dialogue between Trustees. Watch the full discussions below.