The days of endless summers are ending as FCPS opts for more breaks during the school year. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, schools have started a week earlier and ended a week later with more holidays during the year—and students are feeling the impacts. 

Each summer, students get jobs, go on vacation, prepare  for standardized tests and play sports, but now, their opportunities are limited. Madison student Asiya Siddique (‘26) had to prepare  for classes and work over the summer leaving little time for other activities. Her family only had time to go on a weekend vacation when they typically travel longer. 

“Everything got condensed and it didn’t really feel like a summer, more like a winter break,” Siddique said.

While the short summer does limit what students can do with their time off, starting school earlier gives students more time to prepare for SOLs and AP exams. Learning  loss is also decreased as students spend less time out of school. They are also less  likely to forget  what they learned the previous year leading to less learning loss, but Siddique disagrees.

“I’m learning the material throughout  the year so a week or two doesn’t make a difference,” Siddique said.

Without feeling the benefits of starting school earlier, students may feel less motivated. With no time to fully relax and enjoy summer activities, they never get the chance to destress after the school year. Abby Glassman (‘28) agrees that long summers help her forget about the stress of the school year. 

“During summer you forget about the stress of school and you finally relax. If they keep shortening it, it’ll feel like school never really ends,” Glassman said.

It’s not just FCPS changing their school calendar. Since 2020, Loudoun County has shortened summer breaks. The first day of school is on a Thursday for those students, so their calendar looks slightly different, but both counties give students longer breaks during the school year in exchange for shorter summers.  

It’s important for FCPS to recognize holidays from all religions, but this shift is exhausting for students. If they continue to push the beginning of the school year earlier, they must consider the limits they’re placing on students’ summer activities and the mental health effects.