Introduction
The required number of hours that a student receiving K-12 education in the United States varies greatly from state to state. In spite of that variance, the vast majority of states require a minimum of 180 days of school per year. There are also some outliers above and below the attendance of 180 days of school per year.
For example, Illinois and North Carolina both require their students to attend 185 days of school per year. In Illinois, the increase above the norm in the days of attendance per year is explicitly “designed to ensure 176 days of attendance.” In stark contrast to Illinois, Missouri does not have a minimum amount of school days that a student must attend each year.
In a similar vein, Colorado only requires 160 days of attendance per year, and Minnesota requires students from grades 1—11 to attend 165 days of school per year. Kentucky requires 170 days of classroom attendance, plus four professional development days. Vermont and Wyoming both require 175 days or classroom attendance per year, and Louisiana requires 177.
Of the remaining states, five of them allow the minimum number of days that a student must attend school to be determined by standards of accreditation, the board of trustees, or the board of education.
To learn more about the number of days in the school year by state, check the data in the charts.
| # | State | Average Number of School Days | Required School Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | 185 | 185 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 185 | 185 |
| 3 | Florida | 184 | 180 |
| 4 | New York | 182 | 180 |
| 5 | Utah | 182 | 180 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 182 | 180 |
| 7 | Arizona | 181 | 180 |
| 8 | California | 181 | 180 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 181 | 180 |
| 10 | Delaware | 181 | |
| 11 | District of Columbia | 181 | 180 |
| 12 | Georgia | 181 | 180 |
| 13 | Kansas | 181 | 186 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 181 | 180 |
| 15 | New Jersey | 181 | 180 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 181 | 180 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 181 | 180 |
| 18 | Virginia | 181 | 180 |
| 19 | Alabama | 180 | 180 |
| 20 | Alaska | 180 | 180 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 180 | 180 |
| 22 | Indiana | 180 | 180 |
| 23 | Iowa | 180 | 180 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 180 | 170 |
| 25 | Maine | 180 | 180 |
| 26 | Maryland | 180 | 180 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | 180 | 180 |
| 28 | Michigan | 180 | 180 |
| 29 | Nevada | 180 | 180 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 180 | 180 |
| 31 | Ohio | 180 | |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 180 | 180 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | 180 | 180 |
| 34 | Tennessee | 180 | 180 |
| 35 | Texas | 180 | |
| 36 | Washington | 180 | 180 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | 180 | |
| 38 | Arkansas | 179 | |
| 39 | Montana | 179 | |
| 40 | Louisiana | 178 | 177 |
| 41 | Nebraska | 178 | |
| 42 | Missouri | 177 | |
| 43 | New Mexico | 177 | |
| 44 | Vermont | 177 | 175 |
| 45 | Minnesota | 176 | 165 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 176 | |
| 47 | Wyoming | 175 | 175 |
| 48 | Idaho | 173 | |
| 49 | South Dakota | 173 | |
| 50 | Oregon | 172 | |
| 51 | Colorado | 171 | 160 |
Average Number of School Days by State
Alabama
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#19
Ranked in the US
#4
Alaska
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#20
Ranked in the US
#5
Arizona
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#7
Ranked in the US
#6
Arkansas
Average Number of School Days
179
Ranked in the US
#38
California
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#8
Ranked in the US
#7
Colorado
Average Number of School Days
171
Ranked in the US
#51
Ranked in the US
#38
Connecticut
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#9
Ranked in the US
#8
Delaware
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#10
District of Columbia
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#9
Florida
Average Number of School Days
184
Ranked in the US
#3
Ranked in the US
#10
Georgia
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#12
Ranked in the US
#11
Hawaii
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#21
Ranked in the US
#12
Idaho
Average Number of School Days
173
Ranked in the US
#48
Illinois
Average Number of School Days
185
Ranked in the US
#1
Ranked in the US
#2
Indiana
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#22
Ranked in the US
#13
Iowa
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#23
Ranked in the US
#14
Kansas
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#13
Ranked in the US
#1
Kentucky
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#24
Ranked in the US
#36
Louisiana
Average Number of School Days
178
Ranked in the US
#40
Ranked in the US
#33
Maine
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#25
Ranked in the US
#15
Maryland
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#26
Ranked in the US
#16
Massachusetts
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#17
Michigan
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#28
Ranked in the US
#18
Minnesota
Average Number of School Days
176
Ranked in the US
#45
Ranked in the US
#37
Mississippi
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#14
Ranked in the US
#19
Missouri
Average Number of School Days
177
Ranked in the US
#42
Montana
Average Number of School Days
179
Ranked in the US
#39
Nebraska
Average Number of School Days
178
Ranked in the US
#41
Nevada
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#29
Ranked in the US
#20
New Hampshire
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#30
Ranked in the US
#21
New Jersey
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#15
Ranked in the US
#22
New Mexico
Average Number of School Days
177
Ranked in the US
#43
New York
Average Number of School Days
182
Ranked in the US
#4
Ranked in the US
#23
North Carolina
Average Number of School Days
185
Ranked in the US
#2
Ranked in the US
#3
North Dakota
Average Number of School Days
176
Ranked in the US
#46
Ohio
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#31
Oklahoma
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#32
Ranked in the US
#24
Oregon
Average Number of School Days
172
Ranked in the US
#50
Pennsylvania
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#16
Ranked in the US
#25
Rhode Island
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#33
Ranked in the US
#26
South Carolina
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#17
Ranked in the US
#27
South Dakota
Average Number of School Days
173
Ranked in the US
#49
Tennessee
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#34
Ranked in the US
#28
Texas
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#35
Utah
Average Number of School Days
182
Ranked in the US
#5
Ranked in the US
#29
Vermont
Average Number of School Days
177
Ranked in the US
#44
Ranked in the US
#34
Virginia
Average Number of School Days
181
Ranked in the US
#18
Ranked in the US
#30
Washington
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#36
Ranked in the US
#31
West Virginia
Average Number of School Days
182
Ranked in the US
#6
Ranked in the US
#32
Wisconsin
Average Number of School Days
180
Ranked in the US
#37
Wyoming
Average Number of School Days
175
Ranked in the US
#47
Ranked in the US
#35