A Great Depression-era cost-cutting trick is back: 4-day school weeks have spread to 26 states as fuel prices surge

The four-day workweek has yet to go mainstream in the U.S. Instead, a growing number of tech companies, especially AI startups, have embraced the brutal “996” schedule, a practice borrowed from China’s tech industry: working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. But while many employees can only dream of a Saturday off, schools across the country are giving students a reprieve from the Monday morning blues with three-day weekends.

More than 2,100 schools in more than 850 districts across 26 states have made the switch to a four-day week, according to researchers at Oregon State University. Most are rural districts dealing with tight budgets and ongoing struggles to recruit and retain teachers. Now the war in Iran and the resulting surge in oil prices could push even more cash-strapped districts to consider the schedule, even though research suggests it can come at a cost to students.

The fuel crunch has already shortened school weeks overseas. In March, Sri Lanka moved its schools, universities, and government offices to a four-day week, giving everyone Wednesdays off to conserve fuel.

Why four-day school weeks

Educators first turned to four-day school weeks during the Great Depression to save money as the country struggled through the financial crisis, according to University of Oregon professor Sean Grant, director of educational research at the HEDCO........

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