School Day Task Force – Public Summary

School Day Task Force

Seattle Public Schools has launched the School Day Task Force (SDTF) to examine potential changes to the school day and ensure our schedules best support student learning and well-being.

The Challenge We Face

Graduation Progress & Persistent Gaps: Graduation rates have improved but plateaued at about 86%. Equity gaps remain across student groups.
Limited Flexibility: Current schedules leave little room for credit recovery or exploration beyond required courses.
Unequal Access: Participation in advanced opportunities—such as dual credit, work-based learning, and advanced coursework—varies widely. Our goal is for every student to graduate “Life Ready.”
Student Support Needs: There are challenges in providing time for peer connection, clubs, and teacher support.
Safety & Time: The district must optimize time and safety to support learning and well-being.

How the Task Force is Organized

The SDTF’s work is organized into two subcommittees:

High School Schedule Subcommittee: Focuses on schedule structure, credits, and support systems.
Operations Subcommittee: Addresses logistics, safety, and resource allocation.

How We Work

The task force meets twice monthly, with breakout subcommittees focused on high school scheduling and operations.
The group reviews data, gathers feedback from stakeholders, and develops recommendations for district leadership and the School Board.

Membership

The SDTF includes school leaders, central office staff, parents/caregivers, students, and labor representatives. Membership lists for each subcommittee are available on this website. Please see the Meeting Materials section where we have the Dec. 11, 2025 kick-off meeting presentation.

What to Expect

Over the course of these meetings, the task force will:

Identify key design priorities and considerations
Explore a range of schedule options
Narrow down and test the feasibility of those options against budget and staffing constraints
Finalize recommendations for district leadership and the School Board

Questions or feedback?

Contact: schooldaytaskforce@seattleschools.org.

Meeting Schedule

Meetings are held on Thursdays from 6-7:30 p.m., with dates scheduled from January through April 2026:

Jan. 15
Jan. 29
Feb. 12
Feb. 26
March 12
March 26
April 23

Meeting Materials

Dec. 11, 2025 – Task Force Kick Off Presentation

Jan. 15, 2026 – Meeting Recap

Meeting Summary:

The Jan. 15, 2026 Task Force Session focused on building a shared understanding of the current state of high school schedules, including how well they support equitable access to credits, timely academic supports, and planning for life after high school. Data showed that most SPS high schools use a 6‑period schedule that allows students to meet graduation requirements, while 7‑ or 8‑period schedules offer more time for foundational classes and additional electives or supports, though with reduced instructional time per course.

Participants discussed the tradeoffs between flexibility, feasibility, and student experience, noting wide variation in advisory structures and expressing interest in clearer, more consistent models.

Key feedback included a desire for more elective options, concerns that credit and graduation metrics may not fully reflect student readiness, and interest in exploring alternative schedule structures within existing budget and staffing limits. No recommendations were made, as upcoming February sessions will examine options more deeply before developing a draft proposal.