Year Round Schedule
The Expedition School operates on a modified year-round calendar, rather than a traditional school calendar, due to the incredible academic and social benefits students and staff experience. In a year-round schedule, students are provided with the same amount of time off, but instead, breaks are redistributed throughout the entire school year. There are many benefits to year-round schooling, including:
- Increases academic achievement and knowledge retention. Students do not fall victim to “brain drain” or the “summer slide,” or the well-documented phenomenon where students “unlearn” some of the knowledge gained when too much consecutive time is taken off from school.
- Teachers and students experience a closer relationship in year-round schools. In the absence of any long-term break from school, students maintain a sense of connection to their teachers and peers, rather than feeling detached from the school environment.
- The distributed breaks are more frequent, and thus help prevent “burn out.” Schools that are on the summer vacation model only have a handful of holidays throughout the year in which to regroup and rest. Whereas at TES, students receive at least 2 weeks off at the end of each quarter, approximately 6 weeks over the summer, and various holidays. Frequent breaks are good for both student and teachers as they help keep both from burning out early in the year.
- It can be easier for families to schedule more affordable vacations throughout the year!