Following trends in other states, more Iowa school districts are adopting four-day school weeks than ever.
During the 2023-2024 school year, six Iowa school districts operated on a four-day schedule. Eighteen districts have adopted a four-day schedule for the 2024-2025 school year, according to Iowa Department of Education data.
The Saydel Community School District in Polk County did a “soft” implementation of the four-day school week this year. The district started on a five-day schedule in August and transitioned to a four-day week in October. Students are off on Fridays. Teachers use those days for professional development. Monday through Thursday, students are at school 30 minutes longer than when they were on a five-day schedule.
Saydel Superintendent Todd Martin said there were several reasons why the district made the change, but the leading motivation was the mental and physical health of the community. Student absences this year have decreased, he said.
Other reasons included teacher recruitment and retention. And, the district will save $35,000 to $40,000 in utility and transportation costs each year. Martin emphasized the decision was not about saving money or marketing the district.
“It’s really about the wellness of not just our staff, but our kids and our community and our families, being able to ensure that kids have time for recovery, from an emotional standpoint, to teachers being more fully ready to be at their very best for the four days that they are here, and then to get time for a teacher to plan and prep and learn, so that they can be in the top of their game,” Martin said.
He said the shift has also helped improve student behavior.
“On a four-day week, students come more prepared from a behavioral standpoint because they know that they have three days to recoup,” Martin said.
Teacher stress is extremely high following the COVID-19 pandemic and has created challenges for short-staffed schools trying to attract teachers. But Martin, who has been an educator for 31 years, said classroom dynamics were changing well before 2020.
“We do live in a high-risk area in terms of needs from our community, and so we’re continually making adjustments. But I would absolutely, unequivocally say that yes, stresses have increased,” Martin said.
The shift to four-day school weeks raises questions about academic outcomes and economic impacts, especially for women, who still do the majority of child care in most U.S. households.
According to reporting from KCUR, when the Independence School District in Missouri adopted a four-day week, many families expressed uncertainty.
“We've had the response from, ‘Hey, this is great. One less day a week I have to get my kids up,’” said Jennifer Manuleleua, senior vice president of community development at Community Services League, “All the way to ‘I have no idea what I'm going to do with my children and how am I going to make sure they're cared for?’”
The Saydel district offers child care on Fridays through its Eagles Nest program, which also provides child care during the summer and before and after school. The cost for just Fridays is $20 weekly.
About half of the district’s school-aged children use the Eagle’s Nest program, Martin said. Workers care for children from preschool through fifth grade. He said the district expanded the program, but there was not an overwhelming need for child care.
“Some people are working from home. Some people have the option to work four days a week and could make those adjustments with their workplace,” Martin said.
Adoption of the four-day school week varies in the U.S. Some states have adopted the change broadly, while others have tried to pass legislation that would make it illegal. In Missouri, more than 30% of school districts are on a four-day school week.
Research about the four-day school week is somewhat limited and ambiguous. At least one researcher is worried that it is too soon after COVID to implement this type of change.
Karyn Lewis of the research organization NWEA conducted a study that found students are not making up all the academic ground they lost during the pandemic.
“Now is not the time to do anything that threatens the amount of instruction kids are receiving,” she said in an article from The Associated Press.
Other Iowa school districts have recently announced that they’re considering making the switch to a four-day week next year, including Collins-Maxwell.
"On a four-day week, students come more prepared from a behavioral standpoint because they know that they have three days to recoup."Superintendent Todd Martin, Saydel
Martin said when the district initially considered the four-day school week, he fielded many questions about child care and food insecurity. Saydel, like Des Moines Public Schools, faces high levels of poverty. All Saydel students qualify for free breakfasts and free lunches under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision.
The district was proactive about combating food insecurity, Martin said. There is a food pantry on site.
“We do a backpacks program for kids and families that need additional resources for food over the weekends, and so we put those all together on Thursdays and make sure that those go home with kids if need be,” he said.
Teachers are sticking around as well, Martin said.
“We kept ten of our people that maybe we would not have kept in the past. But what we noticed was the type of applicants that we were getting. We were getting applicants that had several years of experience, which we might not have gotten in the past. We were receiving applications for jobs that maybe we had one or no applicants for in the past — the sciences, industrial tech. All of those areas are extremely difficult to fill in a time when we have a crisis in education,” Martin said.
Back in Missouri, the Independence School District has also seen more teacher applicants since adopting the four-day week, according to a small study cited in reporting from KCUR.
The four-day school week reflects larger societal trends, Martin said.
“Society is changing. The workplace is changing. One could argue that, ‘Hey, this is not real life.’ But the fact of the matter is, it is real life. There are four-day work weeks out there for people. There’s flexible work schedules,” Martin said.
Iowa school districts on a four-day week for the current school year, according to the Iowa Department of Education:
1. Cardinal Community School District
2. Central Decatur Community School District
3. East Union Community School District
4. Highland Community School District
5. Keota Community School District
6. Martensdale-St Marys Community School District
7. Melcher-Dallas Community School District
8. Moravia Community School District
9. Mormon Trail Community School District
10. Moulton-Udell Community School District
11. Murray Community School District
12. North Iowa Community School District
13. Saydel Community School District
14. Seymour Community School District
15. Sidney Community School District
16. Twin Cedars Community School District
17. WACO Community School District
18. Winfield-Mt Union Community School District
Iowa school districts on a four-day week for the 2023-2024 calendar year, according to the Iowa Department of Education:
1. Cardinal Community School District
2. Moravia Community School District
3. Mormon Trail Community School District
4. Moulton-Udell Community School District
5. Murray Community School District
6. WACO Community School District
Jodi Fortino of KCUR contributed to this report.
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