I’m not sure that the people who apply because they only have to work 4 days a week are the people you want teaching your kids. 

Nearly 900 school districts in the United States currently use a four-day weekly academic schedule. That number rose from 650 districts in 2020 to 876 districts, across 26 states, in 2023. While smaller, rural districts have been more likely to favor the schedule, larger districts are now shortening their school weeks in an effort to recruit and retain teachers. It’s a selling point in an era when schools are facing a national teacher shortage.

 

“The number of teaching applications that we’ve received have gone up more than four-fold,” Herl said.

 

Schools in other parts of the country have noticed similar patterns. In Chico, Texas, where the public school district also announced a shift to four-day academic schedules this year, officials said positions that used to receive five applications were suddenly receiving more than 20, CBS News Texas reported in May.