Do independent schools have fewer days off than public?

[Anonymous]

I ask while watching a SSSA bus drive past on a (another) day APS is closed.

Curious about the number of instruction days per year in general - so term start/end as well as days off during the month.

[Anonymous]

Almost always independent schools have fewer days of instruction. I don't believe they are held to a legal minimum per year the way public schools are. At my kids' schools the breaks were several days' longer than public schools, and winter break was significantly longer.

[Anonymous]

I believe they all have 180 days no matter how you slice and dice it.

[Anonymous]

I have kids in Private and Public.
Private does not have a lot of the random days off BUT they have longer breaks around major holidays.
Example - private has off the Wed and Monday around Thanksgiving.
Private has off for a full 2 weeks around Christmas - while public may go to a Wed.
End of the year - private of done much earlier than public by at least 2 weeks.

[Anonymous]

SSSAS parent here; we live in Ffx (right by public elementary that has a police car morning and afternoon for street crossings) and obviously drive through part of Alexandria, including the public MS a bit down Seminary, so it’s very obvious when one or both of those public systems are closed but I’m driving DC to school. As a pp noted, we have fewer random teacher workdays and don’t get some of the non-federal holidays (like Ffx being closed yesterday for Lunar New Year). But Ffx was back in school for at least a week before SSSAS was in August, we end at least a week earlier, and we often have an extra day or more at fall, winter, spring, and Easter breaks. We do have fewer snow days - only one, and then it goes to remote learning. Overall though, we have fewer school days than public.

[Anonymous]

Our experience with 3 private schools vs MCPS - private starts later, ends earlier, has longer winter break (full 2 weeks). There are days off for teacher conferences.

I think there may be fewer teacher training days in private - they are usually an extra day added on to 3 day weekends (to make them 4 day weekends).

The private schools had fewer snow days and fewer delayed start.

No days off for religious holidays (Jewish/Christian/Muslim) in the private school - other than winter break scheduled to include Christmas. (Spring break is not anchored to Easter, no Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur)

[Anonymous]

This depends on the school. Our private school compared to our public school: starts earlier and ends earlier in the year; the school day starts earlier and ends later; breaks are longer; far fewer days off throughout out the year; much less "down time" throughout the day. My kids say they get more done in less time, but are in class longer overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe they all have 180 days no matter how you slice and dice it.

This is just wrong. Most privates have 170-173 days of school per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our experience with 3 private schools vs MCPS - private starts later, ends earlier, has longer winter break (full 2 weeks). There are days off for teacher conferences.

I think there may be fewer teacher training days in private - they are usually an extra day added on to 3 day weekends (to make them 4 day weekends).

The private schools had fewer snow days and fewer delayed start.

No days off for religious holidays (Jewish/Christian/Muslim) in the private school - other than winter break scheduled to include Christmas. (Spring break is not anchored to Easter, no Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur)

Very similar experience with one kid in private v one kid in DCPS. My thing about DCPS is that the days off are *so random* whereas private is a lot more intentional about when days off will occur. Our private would never just have a random Tuesday closed for professional development, whereas DCPS loves to pull that shit. They would have a professional day, but tack it onto a 3 day weekend so we could get a nice 4 day weekend to travel.

[Anonymous]

Generally speaking private schools have fewer days off overall, but fewer random days off. So longer summer, spring, and winter vacations, but fewer random Wednesday off and hardly any of these BS half days. SO preferable, IMO

[Anonymous]

They have longer vacations. How else can families go to Vail?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe they all have 180 days no matter how you slice and dice it.

nope

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our experience with 3 private schools vs MCPS - private starts later, ends earlier, has longer winter break (full 2 weeks). There are days off for teacher conferences.

I think there may be fewer teacher training days in private - they are usually an extra day added on to 3 day weekends (to make them 4 day weekends).

The private schools had fewer snow days and fewer delayed start.

No days off for religious holidays (Jewish/Christian/Muslim) in the private school - other than winter break scheduled to include Christmas. (Spring break is not anchored to Easter, no Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur)

Very similar experience with one kid in private v one kid in DCPS. My thing about DCPS is that the days off are *so random* whereas private is a lot more intentional about when days off will occur. Our private would never just have a random Tuesday closed for professional development, whereas DCPS loves to pull that shit. They would have a professional day, but tack it onto a 3 day weekend so we could get a nice 4 day weekend to travel.

yes god forbid teachers get a day at the end of the grading period to you know, grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe they all have 180 days no matter how you slice and dice it.

This is just wrong. Most privates have 170-173 days of school per year.

OK - in VA, it's 180 days or 990 instruction hours min.

[Anonymous]

At our private, days off are always clustered. There's never just a single random day off.

4 day weekend for fall break
1 week for Thanksgiving
2 weeks for Christmas
4 days Presidents Day
1 week Spring Break
4 days Easter

Other than federal holidays and what's listed above, our kids are in school.