Millions of kids are already back in school, but why so early?

The calendar may have only just flipped to August, but lately the end of July signifies the end of summer break for an increasing number of schoolkids across the country.

When it comes to the schedules for children nationwide, the only real constant is the requirement in most states that the school year contain around 180 days of instruction. But the start and end of a school year can vary drastically.

That leeway has resulted in the start date of the new school year shifting from the Tuesday following Labor Day weekend, a traditional starting point in past decades, to now encroaching towards the end of July, even despite the challenges in some places of keeping kids cool during one of the hottest months of the year.

According to a 2023 report by the Education Commission of the States, At least 27 states allow individual districts to decide when kids are required back from summer break, and at least 15 states have distinct dates dictating the beginning and end dates of the school year in their public schools.

A separate report conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that, despite the generally hotter temperatures, the southern states are the ones most likely to call students back to the classroom in August while northern states like New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania usually start later.

That report did show however that, despite the northern outliers, the second and third full weeks of August are the most common start dates currently for school districts.