Many Colorado Schools Have Shifted to a Four-Day School Week to improve Teacher Recruitment and Retention

In recent years, the traditional five-day school week has been steadily replaced by a four-day schedule in many Colorado schools, especially in rural districts. Since 2021, numerous districts in Southwest Colorado, including Bayfield, Ignacio, Dolores and Montezuma-Cortez, have made the switch. 

According to a November 17, 2024 story in the Durango Herald, the decision to adopt a four-day week, typically with longer school days, was primarily motivated by the need to retain teachers and staff, a challenge exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article stated that Colorado now leads the nation in the number of districts operating on a four-day schedule, with 60% of its districts making the change.

School leaders in these rural areas argued that the four-day week is crucial for improving teacher retention, an issue that has become more pressing due to a nationwide shortage of educators. 

“Ensuring a high-quality staff is a focal point of the district,” Leon Handhardt, superintendent of Bayfield School District told the Herald. “We have seen improved staff retention rates and are seeing an increase in applicants for open positions.” He indicated that in Bayfield, the district has hired 46 teachers over the past two years, retaining 72% of them, a marked improvement in a tough labor market. Ignacio has similarly benefitted from the shift, hiring 25 new employees annually since 2022.

The four-day week is seen as a positive development in terms of teacher retention, and some superintendents in Southwest Colorado are optimistic about the change, pointing to improvements in academic growth. The Herald pointed out that Ignacio School District saw its performance rating rise from the “Improvement & Priority Improvement” categories to the “Performance Categories” between 2023 and 2024, marking a notable achievement.

Marianna Poling, a physical education teacher in Bayfield told the newspaper that she has found that the extra day off provides her with more time to plan and reflect on her lessons, which in turn benefits her students. The shift to a longer day and shorter week has allowed teachers to focus more on lesson planning and professional development, which was often squeezed into evenings or weekends under the traditional schedule.

Parents of young children have expressed concern in the past about the challenge of arranging childcare for a fifth day, but the article pointed out that districts like Bayfield and Ignacio have partnered with local organizations to provide solutions. Bayfield expanded its collaboration with the La Plata County Boys and Girls Club to offer free Friday programming, while Ignacio provides enrichment activities and sporting events to engage students on their day off. 

“We have an extremely positive relationship with BGCLPC and are able to provide no-cost Friday programming to the families in our community,” Handhardt told the newspaper.

The story also noted that the longer school days have brought additional benefits to students in Ignacio, such as the provision of two meals per day, which is not always guaranteed when students are out of school for a full day. The Herald said many families rely on the school’s meals to ensure their children are fed, and Ignacio Superintendent Chris deKay highlighted the importance of this provision in the article. 

“The research on students having a full breakfast and lunch and learning retention is pretty well-documented,” the head Bobcat is quoted as saying in the article.