Beaufort Co. schools could start weeks earlier than before. Here are the calendar options
Next year Beaufort County schools could start almost two weeks earlier than it did this year.
The school district released five options for 2024-25 and 2025-26 and is polling community opinion. It isn’t a vote to decide which calendar it will be. That decision is up to the school board.
Four of the options would have the school year start earlier than it did this year, which was Aug. 14 for teachers and Aug. 21 for students. The most extreme calendar change for the 2024-25 school year, option one, would have school start at the end of July for teachers and during the first week of August for students. It would also mean schools would be out before June.
Most options are a “90-90 split,” meaning there will be 90 days of instruction before winter break and 90 days after. The district is considering it partially so that students would complete the first semester and its exams before winter break, according to Director of Teaching and Learning Karen McKenzie.
Last year, the school board finalized the calendar Feb. 8.
Here is this year’s calendar for comparison:
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Here are the options for the 2024-25 school year:
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As of Tuesday afternoon, option one and option two are the most popular for next school year with 28% and 38% of votes respectively. For the 2025-26 school year, option one and option two are almost the most popular with 23% and 44% of votes respectively.
Here are the options for the 2025-26 school year:
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The poll can be found at: https://connectbeaufortschools.org/academic-calendar-input?tool=brainstormer#tool_tab
This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 4:07 PM.
