TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Palo Verde High Magnet School is asking families what they think about a possible four-day school week.
In a flyer posted on Facebook, the school outlined a proposal that would extend the school day from 8:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, while using Fridays for academic support, credit recovery, internships or family flexibility.
Cristina Daniel has a son, Malik, who is a freshman at Palo Verde. When she first heard about the proposal, she thought it was a great idea. “These are high schoolers. They should be able to, in theory, be home by themselves for the day," Daniel explains.
She also explains for her family's situation, this extra day of flexibility would be very convenient. Malik has family in a different state, “He has to get on a plane. I like him to get there in a time that makes sense, not in the middle of the night, not at the wee hours of the morning. So having that extra day for a travel is just nice on our end because of our situation or his situation.”
Cristina said having that flexibility could help her son stay on track when sports and other commitments make his schedule busy. “When he does get behind because he does play sports, he has the ability to go and make that up and not be such a burden to go and do that," she explains.
Tucson Education Association Vice President Dan Ireland said he sees potential benefits in the model but believes school employees should be part of the conversation before any decision is made.
“The thought is that because it will hopefully be an option, you will get more students, you will get more staff wanting to work here, and stay here. So, it really is a way of trying to be competitive against other schools that kind of offer flexible schedules," Ireland explains.
Another parent, Veronica Ayala, also sees positives. She has two children at Palo Verde, including a senior on the school’s state-champion basketball team and a freshman who is also involved in sports.
“They're at school from 8:00 a.m. to sometimes like 6-7 p.m. with practice and stuff. And so I don't see them all day. But then if there's a Friday and we could have like a slow Friday morning and where we all sit at the table and have breakfast together, I think that's one of the positive things," Ayala says.
School leaders have sent a survey to families to gather feedback about the idea.
For now, parents like Cristina and Veronica say they are open to seeing how the idea develops.
"I just think it's time for change and change is good," Daniel explains, "If we just keep going with the status quo, then we’re going to keep getting the same results. Like if your test scores are constantly declining, but you've never done anything different, then it would be time to mix it up.”
What the plan would look like
School hours: 8:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m., Monday–Thursday
Classes: seven periods per day, each 60 minutes
Fridays: reserved for academic help, credit recovery, internships and “flexibility” for families or personal interests
Special programming: extra math elective for grades 9–11 as needed
Scope: three‑year pilot program
Is Palo Verde High the first to consider this in Tucson? TUSD and Sunnyside have discussed calendar changes but have not put forward official four-day plans.
Some smaller and rural Arizona districts already use the model. Duncan Unified and Bowie schools have adopted four-day schedules, and Patagonia Public Schools moved to a four-day week in fall 2024 with longer Monday through Thursday school days.
Districts often point to four-day weeks as a way to recruit teachers and reduce costs, though critics say the schedule can lead to student fatigue and create childcare challenges for families.
Superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Gabriel Trujillo, Ed.D., said in a statement to KGUN, “Though we are very supportive of our schools generating creative and innovative strategies for better serving our students and for increasing enrollment, we also need to clarify that the Palo Verde potential 4-day school week model is a still developing proposal that will have to be reviewed and approved by our Governing Board."
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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