The Ponder Independent School District in Denton County will move to the new schedule during the 2025-2026 school year.
PONDER, Texas — Another North Texas school district is switching to a four-day school week.
The Ponder Independent School District in Denton County will move to the new schedule during the 2025-2026 school year.
To meet the state’s requirement for 75,600 instructional minutes per year, the Ponder district will have a traditional five-day schedule for the first nine weeks of the school year, starting Aug. 6. Then, in October, the district will shift to a four-day week, with Fridays off. School days will be extended by 30 minutes on the four-day schedule, officials said.
The district will offer childcare options on Fridays for students in Pre-K through 5th grade.
Ponder school officials said they’re making the move after “extensive research, discussions, and input from stakeholders” to enhance learning, teacher retention and “overall school satisfaction.”
“The district anticipates several benefits from the new schedule, including improved teacher recruitment and retention, increased student engagement, and enhanced work-life balance for both staff and students,” the district statement said.
Ponder, located southwest of Denton, has about 1,700 students in its district.
Last year, the Sanger Independent School District announced it was moving to a four-day school week in October 2024. School districts in Mineral Wells and Hillsboro have also switched to four-day weeks in recent years.
