SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Students across the valley finished their first day of school on Tuesday, but Central Valley families experienced something different this year as the district launched a new balanced calendar model that started classes a week earlier than usual.
The change marks a significant shift for the district, which has traditionally started school after Labor Day. Meaning, families had to cut their summer activities short to accommodate the earlier start date.
“This is usually our camping week,” said Sabrina Torres, a longtime Summit School parent of two daughters. “It is going to be a rough week because we are used to that extra week.”
The Torres family, along with many others in the district, had to adjust their schedules as Central Valley joins a growing number of school districts implementing the balanced calendar approach. The model maintains the same total number of school days but redistributes time off more evenly throughout the academic year.
Parents are finding reasons to embrace the change despite the initial adjustment challenges. Dominique Koontz, whose daughter attends Summit and participates in competitive cheerleading, sees significant benefits in the new structure.
“Having those extra breaks in the school schedule is going to help us out a little more,” Koontz said. “Having the extra mental load taken away and physical load… I think it’s really going to help the parents and the students.”
The new calendar provides students with more frequent breaks throughout the year, which educators believe will help prevent burnout and maintain better academic performance.
One of the most anticipated changes is the addition of a week-long break in February, providing families with a mid-winter respite.
“I think it will be kinda nice to have that mid-winter break in February,” Torres said, already looking ahead to the new opportunity for family time during what is typically a long stretch between winter and spring breaks.
Click HERE to view the CVSD 2025-2026 school year calendar.
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