North Georgia school district says 4-day week continues to pay off

A northwest school district in Georgia switched to a 4-day school week more than 15 years ago, and school officials say students and staff have loved the shift.

Chattooga County School District adopted the model in 2010 to cut back on costs, but they found the change provided other benefits, such as an increase in morale, fewer discipline issues and improved academic performance.

A school week in Chattooga starts on Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. for high schoolers and ends at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Superintendent Michelle Helie told CBS News that it offers students more opportunities to address other priorities.

“For us, having that Monday allows our students time to go to doctor’s appointments,” said Helie. “We have students who also work. That’s a part of our work-based learning program that’s at the high school, and it gives them an extra day to get that in.”

Helie said she has had other school districts reach out to see the district’s data and potentially make the switch.

“You get to recover on the weekends,” said Helie, “You get that three-day week, and then the teachers have extra instructional time during the school day, so because we have a longer day it gives them more time per class period to do things in the classroom.”