A popular topic that receives attention from not only students, but also teachers, is the debate over switching from a five-day school week, to a four-day school week allowing the weekend to be one day longer. 

This switch would not only benefit the students and teachers tremendously, but there are many advantages for the school itself. 

The benefits of a four-day school week offer an extra day of rest for the students and teachers. Getting more rest then equates to dealing with less stress, and it allows students to feel less pressured throughout the school week. It will also give an additional day for students who are in extracurricular activities to catch up on the work they missed, and they will miss less school if the event falls on a day off. 

In addition, this switch also improves students’ academic achievements. For example, after one school district made the change to a four-day school week, they saw improvements in test scores within two years. Another district also saw their graduation rate increase after making the switch. 

Finally, the financial reduction for the school is a significant factor in making a decision in changing to a four-day school week. Transportation costs such as fuel, bus maintenance and bus driver salaries will decrease. If schools are only open four days per week, there will be a huge decrease in all of the different utility costs. Additionally, the amount of money that is used to make school breakfasts and lunches would be reduced by at least twenty percent.

It is true that switching up the schedule to a four-day school week does have some disadvantages. Schools would have to add about forty minutes onto a school day causing students to get out around 4 p.m. Extracurricular activities would not start until then which means some students would not get home until late at night, leaving a small window to get homework done. However, even with these late nights, students will still have that extra day off to catch up on work and be completely prepared for the school week. 

Making the switch from a five-day school week to a four-day school week benefits everyone, including the school immensely. Students and teachers would have an extra day for rest, students will do better academically, and there are plenty of financial advantages for the school.