Crawford County Community Schools is considering a major shift in its academic calendar, potentially moving to a four-day school week beginning in August 2025. As part of the evaluation process, the district is inviting the public to a series of listening sessions scheduled for April 22 and April 24 at elementary and secondary school campuses throughout the county.
The school corporation is seeking input from parents, staff, and community members on the proposed change, which would reduce the number of instructional days per week but extend the length of each school day to meet state requirements. According to the Indiana Department of Education, school districts must meet a minimum of 180 instructional days or 64,800 instructional minutes per academic year. A four-day week would only be possible if the district restructured daily schedules to maintain the legally required instructional time.
Four listening sessions have been scheduled:
- Tuesday, April 22 at 5:00 p.m. at West Crawford Elementary
- Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. at East Crawford Elementary
- Thursday, April 24 at 5:00 p.m. at South Crawford Elementary
- Thursday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. at CCHS & CCMS
The proposed schedule change would make Crawford County one of a small but growing number of school systems in Indiana to explore a shortened week. In 2024, Vinton Elementary School in Lafayette became the first public school in the state to implement a four-day model. There, students attend school from Monday through Thursday with longer school days, a structure that not only meets state instructional minute requirements but also addresses attendance and morale challenges.
Crawford County officials have not yet released proposed schedule models or details on how a four-day week would impact transportation, extracurriculars, or child care, but the listening sessions are intended to gather community insight and address those concerns.
If approved, the new schedule would take effect at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. Until then, district leaders plan to assess feedback, examine data from other Indiana schools, and determine whether the change would benefit students and families across the county.
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