HOLLYWOOD, CA — Don’t tell the kids: they are getting a shorter winter break over the next three school years in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved the instructional calendar for the 2023-26 school years Tuesday with an eye toward mitigating “learning loss,” and balancing out the fall and spring semesters, according to Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho.

That means shorter a shorter winter break and more opportunities for summer school.

“The new instructional calendars address the need to mitigate learning loss by shortening the winter recess and extending options for summer programing,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “We have also maintained a student centered focus in scheduling future instructional calendars to address family needs of childcare and food assistance, as well as provide a calendar that delivers the best educational experience.”

The new school schedule takes into account input from parents, according to the district. Through a series of surveys, many parents expressed concern that the district’s long winter break created a childcare challenge for working families and put students at a learning disadvantage compared to other Southern California school districts, which tend to have shorter winter breaks than in Los Angeles over the last two years.

“With this instructional calendar, we are trying to balance the needs of students who benefit from time in the classroom, of adults in our schools who deserve time to rest and rejuvenate, and of our parents who often have to scramble for childcare the third week of vacation,” Board President Jackie Goldberg said. “The revised calendar brings us in line with most school districts in Southern California.”

It’s unusual for the board to adopt an instructional calendar so many years out, but it gives families time to schedule childcare and vacations and allows the district to budget well in advance, according to proponents of the decision.

“The Board’s adoption today of a multi-year calendar provides helpful certainty for our families and staff,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said Tuesday. “When our school community knows when school will be in session, they can better plan for their families, which I know firsthand as the mother of a Los Angeles Unified student myself.”

The key dates in the upcoming LAUSD school years are: