Students in this Georgia school district get a 4-day school week

CHATTOOGA COUNTY, Ga. — For students in Chattooga County, they get to experience a different kind of schedule compared to most students in Georgia.

That’s because instead of the traditional 5-day school schedule, they only have to go to class four days a week.

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Friday marked the first day of school for Chattooga County Schools. Superintendent Dr. Michelle Helie says this is about the earliest the district in northwest Georgia will ever start.

“In order to get every Monday off in a calendar, you have to come back to school a little earlier, so we actually go 38 weeks instead of 36 to get the instructional days in that are required by the DOE,” she told Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach.

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The district switched to a 4-day school week few years ago and is one of only a few Georgia districts to have it.

The 4-day school week across all five schools in the county helps save on energy and transportation costs, student attendance and teacher retention.

“I never heard anyone complain about the four days, even though we do go longer, we had to make up for it,” one teacher told Gehlbach.

Having Mondays off also allows families and teachers to schedule appointments or let students work a job.

“It’s good for our students because it gives them an extra day to work sometimes, especially if they’re working to help support their family in some way,” Helie said.

Haralson County Schools also does a 4-day schedule. The district returns on August 4.

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