AURORA | Cherry Creek School District students might feel a little more relief when the holiday break rolls around next school year.
A new calendar announced last month means that students will finish their final exams before the holiday break. In previous years, the exams were given after the break, which was unpopular with parents and students who said the pending exams hung over the break.
District officials surveyed 5,000 students, parents and staff in 2013 about the changes and said 75 percent of the responses supported the changes.
In announcing the new calendar, Superintendent Harry Bull said the feedback was an important factor in making the changes.
“Our Board of Education members listened to our community and adjusted our school calendar to better meet the needs of students and families,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to the positive changes the new calendar will bring to our schools in the 15-16 school year.”
The change means students will start and end their school year earlier than in the past and that the district’s calendar will be aligned more closely with colleges and other school districts.
Next year, school for traditional calendar schools will start August 13. The last day of school will be May 27, which district officials noted falls before the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Transitional calendar schools will start on August 5 and end June 3 and four-track calendar schools will start July 7 and end June 17.