Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is honoring many more cultural and religious holidays than before, but this is causing shorter and more frequent breaks that impact how students learn and cope with stress.
Instead of traditional long breaks, students now receive single days off throughout each month. Academic routines and general well-being have been significantly impacted by the change, which was intended to make the calendar more inclusive.
A study at Annenberg Brown University shows, “the average student loses between 25 and 34% of each school-year gain during the following summer.”
Showing the academic costs of extended breaks. This loss can affect reading and math skills, as students forget key concepts from previous months, requiring teachers to spend extra time reviewing.
“After long breaks, it takes a few days to rebuild routines and get everyone back into learning mode,” Spanish teacher Emily Jensen said. “After shorter breaks, students come back more focused and are easier to redirect.”
Jensen’s perspective shows that frequent, shorter breaks can keep students academically steady. Which is a perspective shared with other experts in this field.
“Another misconception is that teachers and students need the long summer vacation to relax and recover from burnout – burnout that never really occurs in balanced-calendar schools,” Carolyn Shields, head of the department of educational organization and leadership at the University of Illinois, said.
Shields’ research supports the idea that strategic, shorter and more frequent breaks, like those FCPS has implemented, can help students reduce stress, maintain consistency throughout the year and get their well-needed breaks. Students themselves have been noticing these benefits.
“Frequent breaks give me time to reset without losing my routine,” Flaminia Voline (’29) said, “They also help me remember school materials better because we aren’t gone for too long.”
For Flaminia, the spread-out schedule eases the anxiety of returning to school, making her experience more balanced and manageable. Allowing her to have a longer time for studying and doing work, while also taking well-needed rests.
Voline’s perspective is shared by Kennedy Altucuker (’25), who has experienced both the new and older calendars. She said that when she started as a freshman, the schedule was very different.
“Back then, we had longer breaks, but I felt worn out and had no time for rest,” Altucker said. “When I came back, it often felt like I had fallen behind rather than refreshed.”
With FCPS’s new calendar, short and frequent breaks are changing how students and teachers experience the school year. Students return to class more focused and less stressed, while teachers gain valuable time to catch up on their grading and planning. These adjustments have created a smoother, more manageable and motivating year.
“Breaks don’t just act as a pause in school; they’re a well-needed reset button for the whole school,” Jensen said.
