When does school start and how long is the school year in Pa.?

Sure, it’s still summer, but before you know it, school will be back in session.

As parents, understanding how much time your child will spend in school each year can help you prepare for the upcoming academic season.

Here’s a quick overview of the school year requirements in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania:

How many school days in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania law allows districts to meet either a minimum number of days or minimum hours.

Keystone State school years must either be 180 school days or 900 hours for students through sixth grade or 990 hours for students in seventh through senior year.

Many schools in Pennsylvania start the school year before Labor Day.

Schools in Delaware start the year in the week before or the week of Labor Day.

How many school days in New Jersey?

New Jersey requires students attend 180 days of school each year. Unlike most other states, there is no minimum hours requirement. However, New Jersey law considers an academic day no less than four hours of instruction.

The Garden State is one of 12 that has no minimum hours requirement for a school year.

Most public schools start their year immediately after Labor Day.

How many school days in Delaware?

Delaware is one of about 10 states that does not have a minimum number of days outlined.

Instead, the First State relies on minimum instruction time to set the academic calendar. All students except high school seniors must complete 1,060 hours per academic year. Seniors must be in class for 1,032 hours.

With about six hours of instructional time each school day, an academic year runs about 173 days. But, the state requires 3.5 hours of instructional time to be considered a day.