One La Crosse School due back next month because of year round calendar

Most students are enjoying their summer vacations for the next two months, until the first day of school after Labor Day.

That’s not the case for those at Hamilton Elementary in the La Crosse School District. They’ll be back in class on July 18, as part of their year-round school calendar.

The six, 11-day breaks they have throughout the year, still offers academic options, and many take advantage according to the school’s principal.

“Because the breaks are within the school year, and people are in the flow of going to school, we get about 75-80 percent participation,” Benjamin Burns said. “It represents a tremendous opportunity to continue to reinforce those skills.”

Beyond the sudden starts and stops, they end on the same day as other schools in the district, and students attend the same amount of days.

Burns stands behind the unique calendar set up.

“In the middle of July kids still know the routine and the expectation,” he said. “In addition to that we see a lot less of the summer slide with kids.”

Burns added that they normally get a net gain of students who opt in to the school, as opposed to opting out for a more traditional calendar.