The Cumberland County Board of Education’s Curriculum Committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend revisions to the district’s 2026–27 school calendar, adding five instructional days and increasing total learning hours.
The district previously approved the 2026–27 school calendar in December 2024. However, district leaders said a subsequent review of instructional time—including a comparison with North Carolina’s 12 largest districts—prompted them to revisit the plan.
“Looking at the reduced number of instructional hours for students prompted us to bring revisions today for your consideration,” said Jane Fields, associate superintendent of school support.
Fields told committee members that state law requires districts to adopt calendars that include 215 teacher payroll days and either 185 student days or a minimum of 1,025 instructional hours.
District data showed that under the previously approved calendar, Cumberland County had the lowest number of instructional days and hours among the state’s largest school systems. Guilford County had the most instructional days at 180, while Johnston County, with 1,105, offered the most instructional hours.
Cumberland County’s previous calendar included 166 instructional days totaling 1,033.5 instructional hours—a figure that placed the district last in total instructional hours among its peer group.
The proposed revision increases the calendar to 171 instructional days and 1,054.75 hours—an increase of five days and 21.25 hours. District officials said the additional instructional time would move Cumberland to sixth among comparable districts.
The calendar revisions still need final approval from the school board.
High School Semester Balance
The revisions also address an imbalance in high school semesters under the previous calendar. Under that version, the first semester included 77 instructional days, while the second semester had 89 days—a 12-day difference.
The proposed revision rebalances the schedule to 86 instructional days in the first semester and 85 in the second, creating a nearly even distribution of instructional time across the school year.
“Those nine additional instructional days in the first semester would be extremely beneficial for our high schools,” Fields said.
Attendance Data
Student attendance around Thanksgiving played a significant role in the committee’s decision to revise the calendar.
“When we looked at the data prior to Thanksgiving, it was horrible,” Fields said, noting some schools recorded attendance in the low 70% range on the Monday and Tuesday before the holiday.
In response, the proposed calendar eliminates student instructional days that week and restructures telework and annual leave days to remain compliant with state requirements.
The school district is struggling to reduce chronic absenteeism. Roughly three in 10 students miss at least 10% of the school year, though the rates spike even higher for economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and students in some racial groups.
Professional Learning, Telework
The revised traditional calendar also reorganizes several workdays to support professional development and grading transitions. The proposal adds five early-release days intended to give teachers additional time for targeted professional learning, Fields said.
Telework days currently scheduled for October and February would shift to December and April, and a workday following winter break would move to January 19 to better align with the end of the grading period and the transition into the second semester.
Students would still begin classes on August 24, while the last day of school would move to May 28, 2027 so the school year ends before Memorial Day.
Year-Round Calendar Revisions
Fewer changes were made to the district’s year-round calendars due to statutory requirements mandating four instructional quarters of 43 to 47 days, along with designated intersession periods.
“They have additional legislation that they’re required to abide by,” Fields said.
Under the proposed revisions, year-round schools add early-release days to align more closely with the traditional calendar, adjust student days during Thanksgiving week, and shift telework days from October and February to December and January.
Instructional hours for year-round schools would total 1,092.25 under the revised calendar to accommodate additional professional learning days.
In February, the school board voted to end the year-round calendar at E.E. Miller Elementary before the 2027–28 school year, a move parents criticized. But year-round calendars will continue at Anne Chesnutt Middle, Reid Ross Classical Middle, and Reid Ross Classical High in 2027–28.
At those schools—as well as at E.E. Miller—year-round calendars will remain in place during the 2026–27 school year.
Early College Campuses
Cumberland Polytechnic High School’s start date would move two days earlier to allow first-year students additional time to acclimate to campus before Fayetteville Technical Community College students return.
Fields said the adjustment would give students “extra time to learn the campus and purchase their textbooks with the support of their teachers.”
No changes were proposed for Cumberland International Early College or Cross Creek Early College.