At the end of junior year, I boasted a new skill: learning not one or two, but seven new card games. An alleged master of gin rummy (no, its not only for old people), a skillful Bluff deceiver, and a President strategist by late evening, cards became my one and only care.
Yet just weeks before I acquired this new skill, my life was radically different. Every lunch period was a study hall. Every afternoon I’d be at Panera, my papers taking up an entire table. Every day I had mountains of homework that left little room for free time.
For almost the entire year, the AP Exam deadline had loomed over us, screaming at us to work faster. Teachers were forced into a delicate balance of not rushing the rigorous curriculum while also leaving us with sufficient time to review for the exam–a balance that at no fault of our teachers, often left us students scrambling and overwhelmed.
But when on May 14th, I took my last AP Exam, it was like someone hit an off switch. Suddenly, there was a whole month left of school and my classes no longer had any more curriculum material to cover. Consequently, I found myself not only with a newfound sense of freedom outside of school, but also in school, where harsh deadlines and tests were replaced with fairly easy projects and card games.
Nationally, almost 70% of students in public schools return to school before September 1st, typically correlating with an earlier end date in mid-May [1]. As a result, when AP Exams end, so does school.
On the other hand, New Jersey joins the 16-18% of schools, largely located in the Mid Atlantic region, that start after September 1st [1,2].
This decision appears in part to be made based on economics. Although there has not been openly published statistical information about the economic benefits of starting post-labor day in NJ, representatives in support of the Minnesota law enforcing a post-Labor Day school start explained that “‘allowing earlier starts could decrease the tourism season and corresponding business receipts by 20 percent or more” [3].
However, it seems that the economy could still recover from a pre-Labor Day school start: an earlier start means an earlier end date, leaving families with more time to visit the shore right after Memorial Day. Further, states with this pre-Labor Day start have not publicly announced facing any economic detriments.
The other half of the decision seems to stem from custom beginning in 1980; today, we conclude that since New Jersey schools have always started after Labor Day, this year they should too.
However, as more and more schools shift to an earlier start day, with seven NJ schools starting before Labor Day in 2025, it seems that perhaps the Bernards Township School District should also reconsider its start dates.
Mr. Gebhardt, a latin teacher at Ridge High School, noted that for his AP Class, he often feels a “time crunch” and that an “extra month before [the AP Exam] would be delightful”. Ms. McElroy quickly followed up, explaining that the lack of an extra month before AP Exams creates a discrepancy across the nation, resulting in NJ students having a disadvantage on the exam.
Mr. Coates cited similar opinions, explaining that while “The College Board Recommends 10-15 lessons per unit, we only get nine days per unit” due to the lack of time before AP Exams. He mentioned that if school started earlier he “would be able to put those days back in” and that the “content could breathe more”.
Both teachers noted no significant impact of the school start dates on their non-AP classes. Mr. Feci, a math teacher at William Annin Middle School corroborated, citing how although he found himself “cramming in some lessons the week before NJSLA so students do as well as possible”, this year, “it actually works out perfectly” due to NJSLA being pushed back.
Overwhelmingly, it seems that changing the school start dates would have negligible effect on non-AP classes, but benefit AP Classes by allowing teachers the time they need to effectively cover the curriculum. The AP Exam date is not meant to create a pressure cooker — why make it one?
For students, moving the start date could help eliminate burnout. An extra even two weeks could help spread out lessons or provide more time to review, meaning that students have a bit of breathing room and learning is less rushed. That time will not onlycreate more time to retain information near exam dates, leading to less cramming and more thorough reviewing, but also ease off some of the pressure during the year.
This also aligns better with college deadlines: currently, the first semester ends 3 weeks after most college application deadlines (Jan 1st vs Jan 28th), which means that when seniors finally finish their applications, they still have to trudge through the end of the marking period, creating increased amounts of stress.
Of course, there are some benefits of a later school start date. Mr. Coates explained that while he “would prefer to move [the start date] back,” having that extra month at the end of the year creates forced room for projects, allowing students to explore the modern implications of the course and creatively synthesize what they have learned all year. If school ended right after the AP Exam date, he’d likely use the extra time during the year to explore the curriculum more in depth instead of do these same projects.
With projects often being the most hands-on way for students to learn, this stands to reason that the rush during the year is worth it. Yet often times it seems that students are so burnt out by the end of AP Exam season that these projects do not add much value; instead, they become tasks to check off at the last possible second. Especially since the AP test are no longer a motivating factor for students to pay attention in class, teachers often have no option but to spend time on movies and free periods.
The lack of a change in NJ school start dates appears symptomatic of status quo bias — a system that we’ve kept because it would be easier to keep than change. Change would mean different dates for spring and mid-winter breaks (though these break dates already vary by 1-3 weeks across NJ schools) and lots of long conversations about what date is best.
Honestly, I think a change in start dates is worth it. Maybe our vacations will get thrown off for a year, but in the long run, it means that the last month of school is no longer wasted, that teachers actually get the nationally recommended amount of time to teach their classes, and that students are less burnt out.
2] https://www.weareteachers.com/when-do-kids-go-back-to-school/