The weeks will be shorter but the school year will be longer in 2026-27.
Ely School Board members approved a school calendar Monday night that includes a few changes resulting from the switch to a four-day school week.
That change, along with a later-than-usual Labor Day, will prompt the school year to begin a week earlier than usual, with the first day of classes slated for Monday, Aug. 31.
Graduation will also be later than usual, with commencement set for Friday, June 4, 2027.
Another major shift is the length of the school day, with school in session from 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., roughly 50 minutes longer per day.
The calendar was recommended by school administration and approved without opposition by the board during the regular monthly meeting.
While the school year almost always begins after Labor Day, superintendent Anne Oelke said that districts have permission to start earlier in 2026-27 because the holiday doesn’t occur until Sept. 7.
In Ely, that will result in an Aug. 31 opening day for most students, although kindergarten students will begin on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Total attendance days are also different because of the four-day week, with students set to be in school 146 days, rather than 171 scheduled days in 2025-26.
The board had previously designated that students would have Fridays off under the four-day-week calendar, creating long weekends throughout the school year.
The calendar also includes traditional breaks, including Oct. 15-18 (the four-day MEA weekend), Nov. 25-29 (five days over Thanksgiving), Dec. 23-Jan. 3 (Christmas vacation), Feb. 12-15 (four days around Presidents’ Day), March 26-29 (Easter weekend).
The final day of school during the 2026-27 school year will be Wednesday, June 2.
For Ely teachers, the school year will begin with workshops on Monday, Aug. 24.
School officials have explored the four-day week for several months, and conducted surveys that revealed overwhelming staff support, as well as a community survey that showed 77 percent of respondents in favor and just 16 percent opposed.
Several area school districts, including the neighboring St. Louis County 2142 (Babbitt-Embarrass and Tower-Soudan), Lake Superior (Two Harbors/Silver Bay), Mt. Iron-Buhl, and Littlefork-Big Falls districts have shifted to a four-day schedule, and some other regional school districts have explored the move.
By moving to four days, schools save money in numerous ways, slashing transportation and hourly wage expenditures as well as substitute costs.
