The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is weighing new rules for four-day-a-week K-12 schools, but some educators say the proposed changes would unfairly burden rural schools.
Under the four-day-a-week model, districts still must still meet the same requirements for minimum instruction time, so school days are longer. Districts that want to adopt the schedule must apply for approval from the Department of Public Instruction.
According to the state agency, 15 school districts have made the switch so far. An additional four were recently approved to move to a four-day-a-week schedule for the 2026-2027 school year. All of the districts serve rural areas, including several tribal communities.
