year round school essay introduction

Essay on Year Round School

Students are often asked to write an essay on Year Round School in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Year Round School

Introduction.

Year-round school is a concept where students attend school throughout the year, with short breaks in between. This differs from traditional schooling, which typically provides a long summer break.

Year-round schooling can help students retain information better, as the shorter breaks prevent long periods of learning loss. It also allows for more consistent learning.

However, it can disrupt family vacations and traditional summer activities. Additionally, schools may face higher operational costs due to increased use.

While year-round schooling has its pros and cons, it’s essential to consider the specific needs of students and the community when deciding its implementation.

Also check:

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250 Words Essay on Year Round School

Year-round schooling is an innovative educational concept that breaks the traditional school year into shorter, more frequent terms. Instead of the usual nine-month schedule with a long summer break, it offers consistent education throughout the year with shorter, interspersed breaks.

Benefits of Year-Round Schooling

Year-round schooling has several benefits. It can mitigate the ‘summer slide’ phenomenon, where students lose some of the knowledge gained during the school year over the summer break. It also allows for continuous learning, thereby enhancing the retention of information. Additionally, it can provide more flexibility for vacation planning, reducing the stress and congestion of peak travel times.

Challenges of Year-Round Schooling

Despite these benefits, year-round schooling also presents challenges. It can disrupt traditional family patterns, including summer jobs for teenagers, and family vacations. It may also increase school maintenance costs due to continuous use of facilities.

The concept of year-round schooling is a departure from the traditional school calendar. While it offers potential benefits such as improved knowledge retention and flexible vacation planning, it also poses challenges, including disruption of family patterns and increased operational costs. Therefore, the decision to implement year-round schooling should be made after careful consideration of these factors.

500 Words Essay on Year Round School

Year-round schooling is an innovative concept that reimagines the traditional academic calendar. It is a departure from the customary nine-month school year, with a long summer break, to a system that operates throughout the year, interspersed with shorter, more frequent breaks. This essay will explore the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and its potential impact on the education system.

The Rationale Behind Year-Round Schooling

The traditional school calendar, with its long summer break, was designed around an agrarian society where children were needed for farm work during the summer months. However, in the modern, urbanized world, this rationale no longer holds. Year-round schooling is proposed as a more efficient use of time and resources, aiming to improve student learning and reduce teacher burnout.

Advantages of Year-Round Schooling

One of the key advantages of year-round schooling is the potential for improved retention of knowledge. With shorter breaks, students are less likely to forget what they have learned, reducing the need for extensive review periods at the start of each term. This could lead to more efficient learning and higher academic achievement.

Year-round schooling can also provide a solution to the issue of summer learning loss, a phenomenon where students lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year. By keeping students engaged in academic activities throughout the year, this loss can be mitigated.

Additionally, the more frequent breaks could reduce both student and teacher burnout, leading to a healthier learning environment. The breaks could also be used for enrichment activities, providing students with opportunities to explore interests outside of the standard curriculum.

Disadvantages of Year-Round Schooling

Despite its potential benefits, year-round schooling also comes with its own set of challenges. One of the most significant is the potential disruption to family life. Parents may find it difficult to coordinate vacation time with the altered school calendar, and childcare could become more complicated.

Another concern is the impact on extracurricular activities, especially those that are traditionally tied to the summer months, such as camps and certain sports. These activities provide valuable learning experiences and opportunities for social development that could be lost with year-round schooling.

Moreover, the costs associated with running schools year-round could be higher, due to increased maintenance, utility, and staffing needs. These financial implications need to be carefully considered.

Year-round schooling represents a significant shift from the traditional academic calendar. It holds promise in terms of improved learning outcomes and reduced burnout, but also presents challenges in terms of family life, extracurricular activities, and cost. As with any major change, careful consideration and thorough research are needed to ensure that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. If implemented thoughtfully, year-round schooling could be a transformative step in the evolution of our education system.

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The Pros and Cons of Year-Round School Calendars

A balanced calendar replaces summer with shorter, more frequent breaks.

Pros and Cons of Year-Round School

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Although students at a school with a balanced calendar might only get four or five weeks off in the summer, they’ll also get two weeks or so off in the fall, winter and spring.

For most children in the United States, the word “summer” evokes images of a carefree two- to three-month-long escape from the classroom.

But that summer break looks different for those on year-round school calendars, also known as balanced school calendars.

What Is Year-Round Schooling?

School districts using a year-round or balanced calendar redistribute the standard 180 days of classroom instruction more evenly over the course of a year.

Although students at a school with a balanced calendar might only get four or five weeks off in the summer, they’ll also get two weeks or so off in the fall, winter and spring. Some schools on this calendar also use a multi-track system, meaning that students are assigned to different groups, each with its own vacation schedule.

Though the vast majority of schools using a year-round calendar feature 180 days of instruction, some districts have tried extended year-round calendars, which add on extra school days in an effort to increase student achievement. Experts note, however, that these are fairly rare in the United States.

There are many different ways to divide up the balanced calendar, but a common model is the 45/15 version, wherein students attend school for a 45-day period, followed by a 15-day vacation. This cycle repeats four times throughout the school year, taking into account holidays that take place throughout the year (students on a balanced calendar still receive three days off around Thanksgiving, for example).

How Year-Round Schooling Got Started

Though longer, year-round school calendars were fairly common in the early days of American schooling, the traditional nine-month calendar prevailed as the norm by the beginning of the 20th century.

The year-round calendar as we know it today was introduced in the 1970s, as school districts looked for a way to deal with rapidly increasing student populations. By scheduling students on different tracks with staggered vacations, administrators could expand the capacity of existing school buildings. However, the number of public schools using this calendar declined from 6% in 1999 to just 3% in 2018, according to an analysis published in EducationNext . Many districts that do year-round schooling are in the South and West.

But since the COVID-19 pandemic, a few states and districts are looking at balanced calendars as a way to combat the learning loss that occurred following the shift to remote and hybrid learning in 2020. For example in Washington, the state superintendent's office used some of its emergency pandemic funding to introduce the Balanced Calendar Initiative, which has provided grants to more than 40 school districts to study the balanced calendar’s potential for their district.

And in South Carolina, about a quarter of the state’s school districts have switched over to the balanced calendar in the past three years, according to local news reports, with even more planning to make the change.

“The COVID-19 pandemic really gave school districts a reason to look at how we organize when teaching and learning happens,” says Latoya Dixon, assistant superintendent of academic innovation and professional learning at York School District 1 in South Carolina, which will be transitioning to a balanced calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.

Here are some of the pros and cons of year-round calendar systems.

Pros of Year-Round School

More frequent, evenly spaced breaks.

One of the advantages of a balanced calendar is that students get more frequent breaks throughout the year, which proponents of the model say can help reduce burnout among teachers and students.

Daniel Jones, a public high school teacher and doctoral student in educational leadership at St. Louis University , says he suspects that longer breaks during the school year could have a positive effect on students’ mental health, particularly in a post-pandemic world.

Dixon also notes that in her state, students on the traditional calendar have a slightly longer semester in the spring than they do in the fall.

“In terms of instruction, a student who takes Algebra I first semester receives 87 days of instruction, versus a student who takes Algebra I second semester gets 93 days,” she says, noting that the balanced calendar levels out this difference by creating more even periods of instruction.

Intercession Instruction

Year-round education allows for additional enrichment opportunities during the short breaks or "intercessions" that occur throughout the school year, allowing students to either catch up or get ahead in their studies.

Jones and Dixon agree that the year-round calendar can create some challenges for working parents who need to coordinate childcare during the added breaks throughout the year. To make up for that, many schools on balanced calendar systems offer additional instruction during those breaks.

“Some people have a misconception that year-round schools just let the kids go,” Jones says. “But they understand a lot of parents are working, so a lot of those schools will offer programming or enrichment opportunities during those intercessions.”

Less Summer Learning Loss

Advocates of year-round calendar systems often cite reduced summer learning loss as a reason to shift away from the traditional calendar.

The logic here seems sound – since students have shorter summer breaks, there’s less time to forget what they learned during the school year.

That said, a study by Paul von Hippel, associate dean for research at the University of Texas—Austin’s School of Public Affairs, found that while the year-round approach did increase summer learning, learning decreased during other times of the year, ultimately evening out the amount of learning loss between both calendars.

Cons of Year-Round School

Little evidence of academic benefits.

Von Hippel notes that much of the research cited in favor of the year-round calendar falls flat upon further scrutiny, as studies showing significant academic benefits tend to look at a fairly small sample size, and are often not even peer-reviewed.

He says studies that analyze data from several school districts show little in the way of significant educational improvements when schools switched to a year-round calendar – and some even see slight declines in academic performance.

“This is really what policymakers should be looking at,” von Hippel says.

Childcare Difficulties

Year-round education can pose a challenge for working parents who need to arrange childcare during breaks that don't align with their work schedules. When her district was voting on whether or not to adopt the balanced calendar system, Dixon says this was the most frequent complaint that skeptics of the calendar brought up.

Though childcare may be hard enough to figure out during the summer, it can be even more challenging to schedule ways to keep your child safe and occupied during those additional breaks, when most full-day camps and recreation programs are not available. This challenge might even discourage some parents from staying in the workforce altogether – von Hippel cites a 2013 study that found mothers in districts on the year-round calendar were less likely to enter the workforce when their children started kindergarten.

Shorter Summers

It’s no secret that the summer is a popular time for families to take time off. Shortening the season can make it harder for families to find the time for traditional summer vacations like hiking, camping or spending time at a nearby beach.

A briefer summer break also makes it harder for kids to attend a sleepaway camp or for teens to work a summer job or internship.

For families with multiple children, planning a vacation on the year-round calendar can be especially tricky. This is particularly difficult on a multi-track system, where one child might be on break while another child is in class, von Hippel says.

And given the fact that families often plan vacations well in advance, the transition from a traditional calendar to a balanced one can also be challenging. In addition to childcare troubles, Dixon says some parents in her district voted against the switch because they’d already scheduled their summer vacations and would have to go through the trouble of rescheduling to accommodate the new calendar.

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Year-Round Schooling Explained

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Clarification : An earlier version of this article misstated the percent increase in the number of year-round schools. From 2006-07 to 2011-12, the number of year-round schools increased by 20.6 percent.

At more than 3,000 K-12 campuses around the country, school’s not necessarily out for the summer.

Year-round schooling, in which a single summer break is swapped out for a series of shorter breaks throughout the year, has become increasingly common, both as an academic improvement strategy and as a solution to overcrowding.

Year-round schooling inspires strong reactions. Advocates argue, among other things, that it can stem summer learning loss, reduce teacher and student burnout, and help working parents manage schedules. Opponents counter that it complicates schedules for parents, takes a financial toll on districts and tourist economies, deprives children of a needed respite from the classroom, and distracts from other, more effective school improvement strategies.

The idea of changing the school year’s structure has surfaced in national policy conversations since at least the 1970s. A landmark 1994 report from the National Education Commission on Time and Learning describes the nation’s schools as “Prisoners of Time” and advocates for more schools to break away from the traditional Labor Day-to-Memorial Day school year. More recently, a 2014 study by the Congressional Research Service, which provides policy and legal analysis to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, surveyed the research and the state of year-round schooling around the country.

Year-round schooling is not necessarily the same as expanded learning time, which entails lengthening school days or the school year. Many year-round schools simply reorganize the standard 180-day school year.

Here are some answers to common questions about year-round school:

Year-Round Schooling: The Pros

Year-round education is sometimes introduced as an academic remedy and sometimes as a logistical necessity. Advocates for both often describe the traditional school year as outdated, based on an agrarian calendar, and not suited to modern society’s needs or structure.

The academic argument for year-round school centers around preventing the so-called summer learning loss that occurs when students are out of school for extended periods of time. Others argue that year-round schedules can enrich students’ educational experiences by allowing for the addition of intersessions or creative courses.

In other school systems—primarily those looking to avoid overcrowded classrooms—schools and districts organize students into different tracks in order to maximize the use of building space.

In both cases, advocates often point to side benefits of having a school open year-round. In an era when schools are often hubs for health care and other services, year-round schools have the added perk of allowing access to such services to continue throughout the calendar year. Some also argue that offering more regular breaks prevents burnout of both teachers and students. Several federal programs, including the School Improvement Grant program and waivers from the requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, have offered financial incentives for expanded learning time. That includes some, but not all, year-round schools.

Year-Round Schooling: The Cons

A major thread of argument against year-round schooling as an academic intervention is basically: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Since research is mixed as to whether or not year-round schooling actually helps students, the logistical barriers mean it’s not worth a change, according to this line of thinking.

Others cite the financial toll involved in switching the calendar. Tourism and other industries that count on summer vacationers might suffer. High schoolers might be less able to get summer jobs. And the transition can bring added costs to school districts, which have to pay for (and sometimes install) utilities in buildings, stipends for teachers, or other associated expenses.

Still others argue that year-round schooling burdens parents, and takes away from students’ time to experience anything outside of the classroom, and reduces teachers’ time for professional development and growth. In districts where some schools are year-round and others are traditional, families may have to juggle conflicting schedules.

Statistics: How Many Year-Round Schools Are There? Is the Idea Becoming More Popular?

During the 2011-12 school year, the most recent year for which data is available, about 4 percent of public schools were operating on a year-round schedule, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s 3,700 schools, 400 of which are charter schools.

Four percent of public schools were operating on a year-round schedule in 2011-12.

That’s a marked increase from 1986, when just 408 schools overall were on a year-round schedule. The number of year-round schools increased by 20.6 percent between the 2006-07 and 2011-12 school years. The Congressional Research Service reports that year-round schools are more common in the South and West than in the Northeast and Midwest.

The growth in part reflects the traction the idea has gained with state and federal lawmakers in recent years and the increasing availability of funding to support new schedules . The National Association for Year-Round Education, which advocates for and collects research on the topic, was also resurrected in 2015 after an eight-year hiatus.

At the same time, some districts that adopted year-round schedules in the past have changed course. The Los Angeles school district, which embraced year-round schooling as the city’s population boomed in the 1980s, had just one school that remained on a year-round schedule by 2015.

The Schedule: How Year-Round Schools Work

Instead of having one long summer break, year-round schools break the academic year up with several medium-sized (think two- or three-week) vacations. This is often referred to as a balanced calendar.

The length of breaks and marking periods vary. Some schools have four 45-day sessions followed by 15-day breaks; others have three 60-day academic sessions followed by 20 days of break; and some have two 90-day sessions and two 30-day breaks.

Other schools extend the school year as well as shifting the schedule, sometimes by adding an “intersession” period of a week or two, during which students take academic courses that are outside their normal courseload. The Congressional Research Service found that the average year-round school is open 189 days per year—nine days longer than the standard 180-day year.

Schools in which the entire student body is on a single year-round calendar are called single-track schools. In other schools, especially where year-round schooling has been adopted to reduce overcrowding, groups of students at the same school have different academic calendars. This is referred to as multitracking.

Studies: How Year-Round Schooling Affects Students

The academic case for year-round school stems from studies that show that the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers is exacerbated during the summer. But the current research on the academic impact of year-round calendars is inconclusive. One meta-analysis of research from the University of Minnesota, published in 1999, found that 42 studies showed no positive impact from year-round school, while 27 studies showed a significant positive impact. The authors determined that the overall impact was positive, but cautioned that most research on the topic did not control for other relevant factors, such as students’ socioeconomic status.

A review in 2003 also found a small positive impact from year-round learning . The authors of that review also raised concerns about the quality of relevant research.

A 2015 study indicates that more advanced students were more likely to benefit from additional days in school than their peers who struggled academically. And a 2005 study of multitracked schools in California found that students were more often tracked along racial and ability levels than in schools with traditional calendars.

Glossary of Terms

• Year-round school: An approach to school calendars in which instructional days are spread over the course of the entire year, instead of broken up by a single long summer break. Some year-round schools have longer-than-average school years; others spread the standard number of days over a longer stretch of time.
• Extended school year: A school year that has more than the traditional 180 days of instructional time. An extended school year may also be a year-round school, or it may have a traditional long summer break that is shorter.
• Expanded learning time: Adding either hours to the school day or days to the school calendar, usually as part of an effort to improve academics. The federal government first included a definition of expanded learning time in the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.
• Balanced Calendar: An approach to structuring the school calendar in which longer periods of time off are spread throughout the year instead of concentrated in a long summer break. An example would include a school with three 60-day academic sessions and 20-day breaks.
• Single-track school: A school in which all students and teachers use the same calendar.
• Multi-track school: A school in which courses and students are organized into groups that operate on distinct schedules. Usually used as a way to maximize the use of limited space.

Education Issues, Explained

Resources and Research

• “The Congressional Research Service: Year-Round Schools: In Brief,” by Rebecca Skinner, a specialist in education policy highlights the current state of year-round schools. June 9, 2014.
• “Prisoners of Time, Report of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning,” 1994, encourages schools to consider changing the traditional schedule.
• “Year-Round Learning Continuity in Education Across Settings and Time Through Expanded Learning Opportunities,” by the Harvard Family Research Project, December 2012.
• “Center on Education Policy, Expanded Learning Time: A Summary of Findings from Case Studies in Four States.” January 2015.

Education Week Resources

• Education Week’s Time and Learning blog
• “Popularity Grows Anew for Year-Round Schooling,” by Madeline Will. States including Michigan and Virginia set aside money for year-round schools.
• “New Law Encourages Year-Round Expanded Learning in California,” by Kathryn Baron, 9/19/2014. California’s governor approves new standards for expanded-learning programs and reprioritizes funding to provide incentives for before- and after-school programs to go year round.
• “Extra School Days Help High Flyers More Than Struggling Students,” by Jaclyn Zubrzycki. Research found that students who were already doing well in school seem to benefit more from extra time in school than their peers who were already struggling.
• “New York Awards Grants for Extended Learning Time to Nine Districts,” by Samantha Stainburn. A state program provides funding to states that increase the length of their school day or year by 25 percent.
• The “Education Futures” Commentary series on year-round schools

How to Cite This Article Zubrzycki, J. (2015, December 18). Year-Round Schooling Explained. Education Week . Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/year-round-schooling-explained/2015/12

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Pros and Cons of Year-Round School

Compassionate Eye Foundation / Robert Daly / OJO Images / Iconica / Getty Images

Year-round school calendars offer the same 160 to 180 days of schooling as the traditional nine-month school calendar. The difference is that the school vacations are distributed over the year rather than primarily in the summer. The long summer break is believed to have been created to ensure children were home to help parents harvest crops on family farms, a need that is no longer relevant for most families.

While the year-round schedule is not what most adults remember from their own school experience, it may not be as challenging or undesirable as some assume it to be. Children are not given less time off, but instead, the usual nine months on, three months off schedule is redistributed with a schedule of short instruction periods that alternate with shorter breaks across the whole year.

Learn more about the pros and cons of year-round school.

The Debate Over Year-Round School

Proponents of year-round schools say it may be a way to increase academic achievement and be beneficial to many working families, but opponents have also identified potential drawbacks. The debate over year-round schools has uncovered numerous pros and cons to be weighed by parents considering whether it is the right choice for their children and larger school community.

Pros of Year-Round School 

Some of the pros of year-round schooling include:  

• Decreased need to re-teach skills after long vacations, allowing teachers to use classroom time more efficiently.
• Extending the school year may help make teaching a full-time, more lucrative profession for educators if year-round schools can cut costs through multi-tracking programs.
• Families who struggle to find childcare or pay childcare expenses will benefit, as will children who are in sub-par childcare during summer vacation or after school care.
• Multi-tracking programs, those in which groups of students are on different school schedules, may allow for more school consolidation.
• Remediation needs can be addressed during the school year as opposed to during summer programs, possibly decreasing the need to include summer school in local budgets.
• Shorter summer breaks mean students are less likely to incur summer learning loss, which may increase academic performance for underprivileged children and decrease the number of students being served by intervention programs.
• Vacation time can be more evenly distributed throughout the year, making it easier to schedule family vacations and for students to revitalize themselves more frequently.

Cons of Year-Round School

Some of the arguments against year-round schooling include:  

• Children in year-round schools would not be able to participate in sports teams or programs that operate in the summertime.
• Initial costs associated with starting or changing a traditional school to a year-round school are high.
• Multi-tracking programs mean that parents could possibly have children that are on different schedules.
• School budgets and staffing issues simply may not allow for extended school-year programs. Many schools already struggle to pay teachers a competitive wage, making it hard to keep high-quality teachers. The cost of teaching as a full-time endeavor may not be feasible either locally or federally.
• School maintenance costs, including day-to-day upkeep, air-conditioning, and utilities, can increase significantly t if schools are open during the summer.
• Students in year-round school may miss out on opportunities to spend time with children of other ages while learning about nature, as typical summer camp experiences may no longer be a part of the childhood experience.
• Teens who need to work to help support themselves or make money for college may have difficulty holding or finding a job if they do not have the entire summer off.

Increasing Popularity of Year-Round School

Frederick M. Hess, director of Education Policy Studies of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research , notes that few countries offer more than seven consecutive weeks of vacation for students. This contrasts with the United States' average of 13 weeks.

In a 2008 report titled "Summer Vacation Is No Longer Necessary," Hess suggested that following the agrarian calendar is an anachronistic way of running schools—that, although year-round school calendars are not a uniform solution, families should have more options for schools that operate year-round.  

That opinion is gaining traction. In fact, a growing number of schools have opted to transition to a year-round calendar model.

According to an education policy report prepared for members of Congress in 2014,   the number of year-round schools went from 410 (educating 350,000 students) in the 1980s to more than 3,700 (educating two million students) across 45 states in 2012.

Such growth in the numbers has school officials looking into research that examines both benefits in learning for students, but also how year-round schools affect the overall cost of education for all parties involved.

National Education Association. Research Spotlight on Year-Round Education.

Hess, Frederick M. Summer Vacation Is No Longer Necessary . Year-Round Schools . Ed. Adriane Ruggiero. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008.

Skinner RR. Year-Round Schools: In Brief . Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. 2014.

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Year-Round Or Traditional Schedule?

For a variety of reasons, schools across the country are switching their schedules to a year-round curriculum, which means that both students and teachers no longer have the traditional two months of summer vacation. While some parents have enjoyed the year-round schedule, others are engaged in a heated debate about the new trend. Some schools are implementing the year-round program to maintain more consistent instruction, while other schools are switching in order to save money. While many parents are concerned about the potential change for their children and family, each schedule offers its own pros and cons.

This video from PBS examines the pros and cons of year-round schools.

The Year-Round Calendar

When using the term “traditional calendar,” most schools are referring to the most popular schedule, where students and teachers are able to have an extended summer vacation, in addition to the standard holiday breaks throughout the school year. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 86 percent of public schools in the United States operate on a traditional calendar, even though it’s the original purpose – so that children could help parents harvest crops – is no longer an important consideration. Since the traditional summer vacation is no longer “essential,” some experts maintain that continuing to use the traditional calendar is not what’s best for today’s children. As schools are now experimenting with the year-round schedules, many schools are getting rid of the traditional summer vacation, yet are simultaneously providing students with more frequent and consistent breaks from school.

While each school’s schedule may vary slightly, the most popular year-round schedule is what’s called a 45-15 plan, in which children attend school for 45 days then have three weeks off. This schedule cycles consistently throughout the year while making minor adjustments for major holidays and teacher workdays. Other popular year-round schedules are the 60-20 and 90-30 calendars, where students are in class for 60 or 90 days with vacations of 20 or 30 days respectively. Data from the National Association of Year-Round Education shows that schools in 46 states and the District of Columbia have adopted a year-round format and that nearly 3 million K-12 students in the U.S. attend a year-round school. While this figure represents only about 4 percent of all K-12 students in the U.S., it is significantly higher than it was 30 years ago, when less than 400,000 U.S. students attended school year-round.

The Year-Round Benefits

Likely the most popular argument for year-round schooling is to avoid the dreaded “brain drain” that students experience during summer vacation. Proponents of year-round school maintain that students forget knowledge and skills they acquired during the previous academic year. Several studies support this notion, as children show losses in math and language arts knowledge over the long summer break. Additionally, after a long summer break, students must re-acclimate themselves to the school schedule, their teachers and their peers, as well as to school rules and expectations, homework, and non-academic demands such as participation in sports. Teachers report that the first month of each new school year is spent figuring out what children have retained and reviewing what they have forgotten over the summer break. Some data suggests that year-round school increases retention rates, as students in year-round schools have demonstrated higher scores on some standardized tests.

This video from Wake County in North Carolina looks at the benefits of year-round schools.

Furthermore, according to Associated Content, shorter breaks (such as those found in the 45-15 calendar), as opposed to one long summer break, also provide both students and teachers with time to relax and regroup. Teachers who work for year-round schools report that it gives them a break when they most need it. Studies support this notion, as year-round schools have a lower staff turnover rate. The year-round calendar also gives teachers the workdays they need at the times they most need them, such as at the end of a grading period when demands for their time are especially high. As such, teachers on a year-round schedule tend to view it as a positive experience. Students and parents in year-round schools also have generally positive feelings toward year-round schooling because the frequent breaks allow them to recharge and reenergize as well.

Year-round schooling also allows for remediation to occur over the course of the year, rather than just during the summer months. For example, on a 45-15 schedule, teachers can offer “mini-summer school” lessons, where struggling students can come to school to get help during their time off. For students with special needs, or for students struggling in a particular area, quick interventions such as these can help keep all students on pace. Ultimately, research indicates that most students who attend a year-round school perform better academically, especially those who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. However, it is important to note that these gains are not solely because of attending school year-round. Certainly, a large part of students’ academic improvement is the implementation of specialized programs during on and off times throughout the year that allow students to undertake remediation in areas of academic weakness. Many schools also offer enrichment programs during on and off times for children who are at or above grade level. These experiences also factor into improved student performance on academic measures.

The Year-Round Conflict

While many school leaders assert that the year-round calendar is designed to help students, some parents are not accepting the adjustments. Parents are concerned that their families would not have enough time to take vacations without a long summer break. In fact, some parents go so far as to keep their kids home until after Labor Day in order to protest and force the school to maintain its traditional calendar.

This brief video discusses the pros and cons of year-round schooling.

The year-round calendar can potentially be a scheduling nightmare for some parents. For example, parents who have multiple children in school might have one child in a year-round school and others in schools that operate on a traditional calendar. In such cases, parents can struggle to find times during the year when the whole family has time to relax, travel, or spend time together.

Opponents of year-round education also point to the difficulties created for students who want or need to work in the summer. Year-round schooling, with its shorter and more frequent breaks, can interfere with job opportunities, as well as non-school related sports and activities such as summer camps and parks and recreation activities. Students who want to attend college classes in the summer are also prevented from doing so if a year-round schedule is in place. These opportunities are diminished for teachers as well, who might otherwise use the summer break to work towards a higher degree, participate in professional development courses, or have summer jobs of their own.

The Year-Round Opportunities

While the debate rages on, the test results demonstrate that year-round schools do present some academic benefits. Helping students stay motivated, the year-round schedules also present opportunities for students to attend academic camps and club programs that might otherwise not be available in the summer. Many educators and parents do not feel that kids need a full two months away from school, so while the year-round schedule certainly requires an adjustment, the changes can bring in more consistent rest periods, expanded learning opportunities, and a more refreshing approach to education and learning for students, parents and teachers alike.

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Examining the Effectiveness of Year-Round School Calendars on Improving Educational Attainment Outcomes Within the Context of Advancement of Health Equity: A Community Guide Systematic Review

Ramona k. c. finnie.

Community Guide Branch, Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia

Robert A. Hahn

Robert l. johnson.

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey

Jonathan E. Fielding

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California

Benedict I. Truman

Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD &TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), CDC, Atlanta, Georgia

Carles Muntaner

University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Mindy T. Fullilove

Columbia University, New York, New York

Xinzhi Zhang

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Associated Data

Students may lose knowledge and skills achieved in the school year during the summer break, with losses greatest for students from low-income families. Community Guide systematic review methods were used to summarize evaluations (published 1965–2015) of the effectiveness of year-round school calendars (YRSCs) on academic achievement, a determinant of long-term health. In single-track YRSCs, all students participate in the same school calendar; summer breaks are replaced by short “intersessions” distributed evenly throughout the year. In multi-track YRSCs, cohorts of students follow separate calendar tracks, with breaks at different times throughout the year. An earlier systematic review reported modest gains with single-track calendars and no gains with multi-track calendars. Three studies reported positive and negative effects for single-track programs and potential harm with multi-track programs when low-income students were assigned poorly resourced tracks. Lack of clarity about the role of intersessions as simple school breaks or as additional schooling opportunities in YRSCs leaves the evidence on single-track programs insufficient. Evidence on multi-track YRSCs is also insufficient.

Educational achievement is an established social determinant of long-term health 1 , 2 ; thus, an intervention that affects educational achievement can be assumed to also affect long-term health. In the United States, inequalities by race, ethnicity, and income in both educational achievement and health are substantial and persistent. 3 – 10 One source of the educational achievement gap is learning loss during summer breaks experienced especially by students from low-income families, probably because they lack resources for educational summer activities available to more affluent students. 11 – 13 It is plausible that year-round school calendars (YRSCs), in which summer break is shortened and short breaks are more evenly distributed throughout the school year, may decrease the learning loss associated with a long summer break 11 and lead to improved academic achievement for low-income students. If YRSCs reduce the achievement gap, they may be expected to advance health equity.

Year-round schooling alters the school calendar by redistributing school and vacation days more evenly throughout the year, without changing the number of school days per year. YRSCs take two forms: In the single-track version, all students participate in the same school calendar. Short intersessions between school sessions replace long summer vacation and may provide remedial or advancement educational opportunities. Definitions of single-track versions do not clarify whether educational intersessions are essential or optional program components. In the multi-track version, several tracks of students participate separately in each school such that one track is on break when the others are in session and breaks occur throughout the year. Except for several holidays, the school remains open year-round. Single-track programs are commonly implemented to address the summer achievement loss, 14 whereas multi-track programs are often implemented in overcrowded school districts to delay the construction of new school buildings by using available facilities year-round. 14 , 15

This review synthesizes available evidence on the effectiveness of single- and multi-track YRSCs in improving academic outcomes. This review is one in a series evaluating the effects of educational programs on academic outcomes. Because these academic outcomes, along with other factors, have been shown to be related to long-term health outcomes and because the programs are often targeted toward low-income and at-risk racial communities, it is posited that the effective programs will advance health equity—the ultimate object of this series of reviews.

Year-round schooling reduces the duration of traditional, long summer vacation associated with loss of academic learning, particularly among low-income students ( Figure ). It thus may promote more continuous learning by distributing breaks more evenly throughout the school year, leading to improved academic outcomes, reduced learning loss, and reduced grade repetition. Single-track year-round schooling may also lead to increased opportunities for learning through intersession classes. Multi-track year-round schooling may lead to reduced delinquency and vandalism since the school is continuously occupied. Multi-track year-round schooling may also lead to cost savings by making use of school facilities at all times throughout the year and delaying new school construction. If year-round schooling leads to improved academic outcomes, then income and employment, also associated with long-term health, will likely improve. Because educational achievement is a major social determinant of health, insofar as these programs are implemented in low-income communities, they could have an impact on health equity. See Supplemental Digital Content Appendix I (available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMP/A5l9 ) for the list of outcomes of interest.

Analytic Framework: How Year-Round Schooling Is Expected to Affect Academic Outcomes Directly and Health and Health Equity Because of Effects on Academic Outcomes

Abbreviation: SES, socioeconomic status.

Some observers have reported that year-round schools (YRSs) may lead to reduced family vacation time and interfere with extracurricular activities for students, job scheduling for parents and students, and difficulty arranging childcare. 14 , 15 There is also the potential for increased teacher turnover due to burnout. 14 Multi-track calendars may separate students from friends in other tracks. 14

Inclusion Criteria, Evidence Acquisition, and Methods

See Supplemental Digital Content Appendix I (available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMp/A519 ) for description of methods.

See Supplemental Digital Content Appendix II and Appendix Table 1 (available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMP/A519 ) for description of study, intervention, and population.

Search results are shown in Supplemental Digital Content Appendix Figure 2 (available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMP/A519 ). A meta-analysis by Cooper and colleagues 14 was found and used as a source for this review because it was recent and of good quality. All study estimates were for achievement scores. The summary effect estimate from 39 studies was small and significant—a weighted d -index of 0.06 (95% CI, 0.04–0.08). The 15 studies of single-track schools reported a modest and statistically significant gain compared with traditional calendar schools ( d = 0.19; 95% CI, 0.07–0.31); the 8 studies of multi-track schools showed basically no difference compared with traditional calendar schools ( d = 0.04; 95% CI, −0.12 to 0.2) (see Supplemental Digital Content Appendix Table 2 , available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMP/A519 ). There was no significant difference of effect in standardized mean differences between studies mentioning and those not mentioning intersession: 0.10 (95% CI, −0.01 to 0.21) versus 0.08 (95% CI, −0.01 to 0.17). Additional stratified analyses demonstrated effectiveness for low socioeconomic status (SES) (vs higher SES), elementary (vs higher grades), and predominantly nonwhite students (vs predominantly white student bodies). Programs implemented more than 1 year were also effective (compared with shorter implementation periods); other analyses favored YRSs but were not statistically significant.

We conducted a search of literature on the effects of YRSCs on achievement published following Cooper’s search period in the databases (ERIC and PsycINFO) used by Cooper and colleagues, 14 from March 2002 through August 2015. Three studies, in four articles, 15 – 18 compared single-track YRSCs with traditional schools and reported mixed findings. A retrospective cohort 18 of three elementary schools in which teachers and students within the same school could choose whether to be on a year-round or traditional calendar reported favorable results for the YRS in mathematics (5.2 percentile greater growth in National Percentile Rank) and little change for reading (1.6 greater percentile growth). A panel study 15 of elementary and middle schools in California reported no change; most scores for mathematics, English, and reading remained negative but not statistically significant. The cross-sectional analysis of Virginia schools by Brown and colleagues 16 reported that test scores of the general student population were similar at YRSs and traditional calendar schools, but found benefits for specific student populations (discussed later). Brown and colleagues attributed the benefits to intersession but did not evaluate this claim.

Three studies, in five articles 15 , 17 , 19 – 21 compared academic achievement in multi-track YRSs to traditional schools and reported mostly negative findings. Graves 15 reported main effects that were negative and statistically significantly negative for years 2 and 3 after changing to a multi-track calendar. McMullen and Rouse 20 reported a panel study of elementary and middle schools in a county of North Carolina. Analysis of change in student achievement in YRSs compared with non-YRSs found small, positive, and statistically significant effect for lowest-performing students but smaller changes in scores for higher-achieving students. 20 In addition, Mitchell and Mitchell 21 found no difference between academic outcomes in schools with multi-track and traditional calendars but did find differences in resource allocation and academic achievement among tracks within the district compared with each other (see later).

Three studies reported effects for specific student populations. Two 16 , 17 reported mixed findings on single-track calendars. Brown and colleagues 16 reported test scores of subgroups of students in Virginia, mostly black students but also Hispanics and students from low-income families who showed increased achievement scores in schools with single-track YRSCs compared with schools with traditional calendars. Graves 17 reported that single-track calendar programs had mostly negative outcomes for low-SES students but mixed outcomes for minority populations.

Two studies 17 , 21 reported negative effects for multi-track calendars. Authors reported differences between schools by calendar type, the most notable being disparities in neighborhood characteristics of the areas surrounding multi-track schools (high percentage of adults without a high school degree, unemployment rate, urban concentrations, proportions of children in single-parent household, and limited English proficiency) compared with those of single-track or traditional schools. Even controlling for demographic differences, a multi-track year-round calendar had consistent statistically significant and negative effects on all subgroups. Similarly, Mitchell and Mitchell 21 reported statistically significant and negative results of multi-track calendars for minority and low-SES students—differences that increased over time. In addition, more nonwhite, non-English-speaking, and low-SES students were assigned to tracks with less experienced teachers.

See Supplemental Digital Content Appendix III (available at http://links.lww.com/JPHMP/A519 ) for a description of limitations.

Summary of findings

Single-track yrscs.

Available evidence is insufficient to determine the effects of single-track YRSs on academic achievement because the role of intersession programs in single-track programs is unclear, hindering the ability to evaluate the program and rendering conclusions uncertain. It is not clear whether intersession is regarded as an essential or an optional element of single-track year-round schooling. If intersession is essential, single-track programs would substantially extend the number of days in school, thus inconsistent with the conceptualization of YRSCs as not expanding in-school time. It is not clear whether the apparent benefits of some single-track programs for at-risk populations are attributable to the change of calendar alone, to the addition of intersessions alone, or to a combination.

Multi-track YRSCs

Available evidence is insufficient to determine the effects of multi-track year-round calendars in improving academic achievement because of inconsistencies across studies. Effect sizes in the body of evidence were small, and information was lacking on how the intervention is implemented. In addition, evidence suggests that multi-track YRSs may be harmful for low-income students if they are assigned tracks with fewer academic resources, in which case health in-equity may be increased.

Implications for Policy & Practice

• ■ The role of intersession : Policy and research statements about single-track year-round schooling are not clear about whether educational “intersessions” between periods of formal schooling are regarded as optional or essential elements of this intervention. If they are essential elements, then the length of the school year may in fact be extended, contrary to common perception. In addition, potential success of programs may be partially attributable to this component. Clarification of this conceptual issue is necessary to resolve these questions.
• ■ Implications for state of evidence : Lack of clarity in the definition of single-track YRSCs leaves the current evidence about this program insufficient; it is not clear what is being investigated and what might be responsible for program effects.
• ■ Caution in the development of multi-track YRSCs : Beyond definitional issues (the primary objective of many multi-track programs is to save money), if multi-track programs are to operate, it is critical that strategies be developed to ensure equitable track assignments.
• ■ Redressing summer academic loss : Answers to these questions may open opportunities to redress summer academic loss, which is a critical contributor to persistent achievement gaps faced by students in low-income communities and an obstacle to health equity.

Supplementary Material

Appendix figure 2, appendix i, appendix ii, and appendix iii, appendix table 2, appendx table 1, acknowledgments.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Krista H. Cole, Stacy A. Benton (from the Community Guide Branch, CDC), and Onnalee Gomez (from the Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library, Library Science Branch), who provided input on various stages of the review and the development of the manuscript. Kimberly Sarte (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Virginia) clarified issues on the Virginia study.

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of CDC.

Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journals Web site ( http://www.JPHMP.com ).

No author has any conflict of interest or financial disclosure.

Contributor Information

Ramona K. C. Finnie, Community Guide Branch, Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia.

Yinan Peng, Community Guide Branch, Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia.

Robert A. Hahn, Community Guide Branch, Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia.

Robert L. Johnson, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.

Jonathan E. Fielding, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California.

Benedict I. Truman, Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD &TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.

Carles Muntaner, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mindy T. Fullilove, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Xinzhi Zhang, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
• The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

• Historical, geographical, or social context
• An outline of the debate you’re addressing
• A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
• Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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Moscow City Election – 2023

• Introduction to the Candidates
• GUIDE: How to Register to Vote and Vote

This year in the City of Moscow, three City Council seats and school board seats for Zones 1, 3, and 4, are up for election. For the city council race, the winners will be whichever candidates receive the top three sets of votes , while the school board trustees will be decided based on who gets the most votes in their respective districts.

School board

School Board Zone 1: Cody Barr (REP), Jim Frenzel (DEM) School Board Zone 3: Gay Lynn Clyde (REP), Dulce Kersting-Lark (DEM) School Board Zone 4: Jim Gray (REP), Dawna Fazio (DEM)

City Council Candidates:

Get to know the candidates through our Candidate Candids interview series ! These long-form conversations cover more than mere talking points.

Nathan Tupper

Evan Holmes:

Bryce Blankenship

Joe Campbell

Sandra Kelly

While Sandra was unable to conduct an interview with us, you can find more information about her platform and campaign here: https://www.facebook.com/kellyformoscow

Voter Registration Info

Early voting starts Oct 25th, and runs through November 3rd. During this period, citizens can go to the Latah County Courthouse between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and vote. Otherwise, election day is on November 7th, at which time citizens will need to go to their respective precincts to vote ( Precinct Map ), based on their residential address.

If your permanent residence is here in Moscow, Latah County, Idaho:

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To register to vote online (voteidaho.gov) or at the Latah County clerk’s office or at the polls, you must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age, a resident of Idaho and your county for 30 days prior to the election. To prove this, you must provide:

• Idaho-issued identification card or Idaho driver’s license or current US passport
• One approved proof of residence document

Any of the above photo identification with correct residence address:

• Lease or rental agreement
• Utility bill (excluding cellular telephone bill)
• Bank or credit card statement
• Paystub, paycheck, government-issued check
• For students: Enrollment papers from current school year. 

Identification

Do you have an Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license)?

Yes, I have an Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license). 

Is your address current on it?

If not please update your address online at dmvonline.itd.idaho.gov/   Or in person at Latah County DMV, 1313 S. Blaine Street, Moscow, ID 83843. (No need to pay the $20 new-card fee. The address will be corrected in the state’s system.) 

No, I do not have an Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license) . 

Follow the Idaho DMV rules for a driver’s license. Or apply for an Idaho photo identification card:

Bring 1 or 2 (2 will allow you to get a Star Card for travel purposes) of these original documents proving residency that are less than a year old in your current name with current address to the DMV:

• Lease, rental agreement, mortgage, or deed
• Account statement from one or two different utilities (no ¾ page or cell phone bills)
• Account statement from a bank or financial institution
• Medical or insurance provider statement, invoice, or explanation of benefits
• Pay stub or employment verification (it must list your legal name.)
• Idaho school enrollment records with current address (college IDs are not accepted)
• Residency affidavit signed by an adult over age 18
• Vehicle, homeowner’s, or renter’s liability information.
• And bring your birth certificate and social security card .

Have you been recently married and need to update your name on your Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license)?

First, change your name on your social security card by taking to Lewiston Social Security Office:

• Maiden name social security card
• Marriage certificate (not the gold-seal version, but the certified copy)
• Must have State File Number, Groom, Bride, and Family ( maiden ) Name completed
• Birth certificate (recorded copy, not the keepsake copy)
• Maiden name state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license).

Then, change your name on your Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license) at the Latah County DMV, 1313 S. Blaine Street, Moscow, ID 83843.

I was recently married, but I do not have ANY valid photo identification card

• Follow the Idaho DMV rules for a driver’s license. 

Or apply for an Idaho state-issued photo identification card (see steps above). Wait for the plastic one to arrive in the mail. 

2. Change your name on your social security card by taking to Lewiston:

• New Idaho state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license).

3.  Wait 24-48 hours. Then return to DMV in person for your state-issued photo identification card (or driver’s license).

There is a new, free Idaho voting identification card option for people who do not drive. This program began in July 2023, so there is not much information available on it. 

The signed affidavit is only to be used if the properly registered voter comes to the polls without a picture identification, and his verbally given address matches the roster. If the addresses do not match, the person must re-register to vote (must go and get the photo identification and proof of address).

As a student , where should I register to vote?

From the Idaho Secretary of State’s website :

“College students must establish, as with all other voter registration applicants, that the locale within which they seek to register and vote is their domicile i.e. that they are living in the college community with the intention of abandoning their former domicile and with the intention of remaining permanently, or for an indefinite length of time, in the new location. Some of the factors which may be relevant in determining whether domicile has been established for voting purposes by a student as well as any other applicant, are as follows:

• Has the applicant registered to vote elsewhere?
• Where does the applicant maintain his checking and saving accounts, if any?
• Where does the applicant pay taxes, and what address did he list as his residence on his last income tax return?
• What is the residence listed on the applicant’s driver’s license?
• If the applicant owns an automobile, where is it registered?
• Does the applicant live year round at his claimed domicile, or does he divide it elsewhere? If it is divided, how much time is spent elsewhere and for what reason?

As a student, you should not be registering and voting in your college locale simply because you failed to register and vote at your true domicile. Registering to vote is a serious matter which should only be done after proper reflection. It should be noted that there is no federal right to vote anywhere in the United States for the office of President. State laws control registration and voting and State residency requirements must be met.”

“We need and want all students to vote at their legal domicile.”

If your permanent residence is in another state, contact your home state’s election division to register and vote (absentee?) there.

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