Number Of Days In School Year By State

Required School Days
Required School Days
1.North CarolinaNorth Carolina185
2.KansasKansas181
3.AlabamaAlabama180
4.AlaskaAlaska180
5.ArizonaArizona180
6.CaliforniaCalifornia180
7.ConnecticutConnecticut180
8.FloridaFlorida180
9.GeorgiaGeorgia180
10.HawaiiHawaii180
11.IllinoisIllinois180
12.IndianaIndiana180
13.IowaIowa180
14.MarylandMaryland180
15.MassachusettsMassachusetts180
16.MichiganMichigan180
17.MississippiMississippi180
18.NevadaNevada180
19.New HampshireNew Hampshire180
20.New JerseyNew Jersey180
21.New YorkNew York180
22.OklahomaOklahoma180
23.UtahUtah180
24.VirginiaVirginia180
25.West VirginiaWest Virginia180
26.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania180
27.Rhode IslandRhode Island180
28.South CarolinaSouth Carolina180
29.TennesseeTennessee180
30.WashingtonWashington180
31.ArkansasArkansas178
32.LouisianaLouisiana177
33.MaineMaine175
34.North DakotaNorth Dakota175
35.VermontVermont175
36.WyomingWyoming175
37.MissouriMissouri174
38.KentuckyKentucky170
39.MinnesotaMinnesota165
40.ColoradoColorado160

Duration of Instruction Time: Examining Differences Across States

In the United States, the duration of an academic year, encompassing both instructional and non-instructional periods, varies among states. This pivotal aspect of education forms the cornerstone for student growth and relative achievement milestones on their academic journey. The number of necessary school days by states influences not just the students and educators, but also the local economies and the daily lives of communities. Quantifying instructional time is complex. It is influenced by various factors, including geographical region, local traditions, holidays, weather-related closures, and even dedicated teacher development days.

  • North Carolina stands out as the state requiring the most significant number of school days, totaling 185, exceeding the national average by five days.
  • Roughly on the other end of the spectrum, Colorado necessitates the fewest number of school days, requiring only 160 days of instruction.
  • The majority of states, about 25 out of the 40 states listed, mandate a standard of 180 instructional days per academic year.
  • States such as Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming require slightly fewer school days, with 175 days identified as the standard for these regions.
  • Interestingly, the Midwest state of Minnesota features a reduced requirement, with only 165 instructional days, marking it out as a significant outlier.

By Region

Alabama

See Less
Alabama

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#3

Alaska

See More
Alaska

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#4

Arizona

See More
Arizona

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#5

Arkansas

See More
Arkansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

178

#31

California

See More
California

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#6

Colorado

See More
Colorado

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

160

#40

Connecticut

See More
Connecticut

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#7

Florida

See More
Florida

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#8

Georgia

See More
Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#9

Hawaii

See More
Hawaii

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#10

Illinois

See More
Illinois

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#11

Indiana

See More
Indiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#12

Iowa

See More
Iowa

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#13

Kansas

See More
Kansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

181

#2

Kentucky

See More
Kentucky

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

170

#38

Louisiana

See More
Louisiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

177

#32

Maine

See More
Maine

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

175

#33

Maryland

See More
Maryland

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#14

Massachusetts

See More
Massachusetts

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#15

Michigan

See More
Michigan

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#16

Minnesota

See More
Minnesota

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

165

#39

Mississippi

See More
Mississippi

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#17

Missouri

See More
Missouri

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

174

#37

Nevada

See More
Nevada

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#18

New Hampshire

See More
New Hampshire

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#19

New Jersey

See More
New Jersey

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#20

New York

See More
New York

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#21

North Carolina

See More
North Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

185

#1

North Dakota

See More
North Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

175

#34

Oklahoma

See More
Oklahoma

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#22

Pennsylvania

See More
Pennsylvania

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#26

Rhode Island

See More
Rhode Island

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#27

South Carolina

See More
South Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#28

Tennessee

See More
Tennessee

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#29

Utah

See More
Utah

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#23

Vermont

See More
Vermont

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

175

#35

Virginia

See More
Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#24

Washington

See More
Washington

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#30

West Virginia

See More
West Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

180

#25

Wyoming

See More
Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

Required School Days

175

#36

Table

Region ↕Required School Days ↕
Alabama iconAlabama180
Alaska iconAlaska180
Arizona iconArizona180
Arkansas iconArkansas178
California iconCalifornia180
Colorado iconColorado160
Connecticut iconConnecticut180
Florida iconFlorida180
Georgia iconGeorgia180
Hawaii iconHawaii180
Illinois iconIllinois180
Indiana iconIndiana180
Iowa iconIowa180
Kansas iconKansas181
Kentucky iconKentucky170
Louisiana iconLouisiana177
Maine iconMaine175
Maryland iconMaryland180
Massachusetts iconMassachusetts180
Michigan iconMichigan180
Minnesota iconMinnesota165
Mississippi iconMississippi180
Missouri iconMissouri174
Nevada iconNevada180
New Hampshire iconNew Hampshire180
New Jersey iconNew Jersey180
New York iconNew York180
North Carolina iconNorth Carolina185
North Dakota iconNorth Dakota175
Oklahoma iconOklahoma180
Pennsylvania iconPennsylvania180
Rhode Island iconRhode Island180
South Carolina iconSouth Carolina180
Tennessee iconTennessee180
Utah iconUtah180
Vermont iconVermont175
Virginia iconVirginia180
Washington iconWashington180
West Virginia iconWest Virginia180
Wyoming iconWyoming175
Keep reading

Additional Education Datasets

PISA Scores By Country

PISA Scores By Country

Per Pupil Spending By State

Per Pupil Spending By State

Public School Rankings By State

Public School Rankings By State

SAT Scores By State

SAT Scores By State

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries

Smartest States

Smartest States