SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Students and teachers in the Central Valley School District are headed back for the first day earlier than they are used to, as the district shifts to a new balanced calendar model.
CVSD classes will begin on Aug. 27 this year, abandoning its longtime tradition of beginning after Labor Day.
The new balanced calendar distributes traditional summer break days throughout the school year, giving students more frequent breaks while maintaining the same total number of instructional days.
“It’s in order to help with learning loss and to help with the emotional and mental well-being of students and staff,” said Central Valley Superintendent John Parker.
The district’s decision comes after observing increased absenteeism and declining morale during the pandemic. Parker said the experience created momentum for calendar reform.
“There was a real readiness to benefit by examining the calendar after Covid,” Parker said.
Under the balanced calendar, students will receive extended breaks tied to existing holidays. In November, students will get a long weekend by having the Monday before Veterans Day off. Instead of just Presidents Day in February, students will receive a full week-long winter break.
Parker believes the new structure will help maintain student and teacher momentum throughout the academic year by providing regular opportunities for rest and recovery.
“It creates a sense of a flow for how they know the days they’re going to need to be on, and when they have a chance to be off,” Parker said.
Central Valley joins a growing trend among regional school districts exploring alternative calendar models. Spokane Public Schools is considering adopting the model for the 2026-2027 school year.
CVSD plans to use the next few years as a test period to evaluate the balanced calendar’s effectiveness before making it a permanent fixture.
Click HERE to view the CVSD 2025-2026 school year calendar.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
