School days.

• Position: STATESTATS - Issues concerning the changing of the school calendar

The school calendar is based largely on the agrarian demands of the 1800s, when children were needed to help work the family farm during growing season. It has remained fairly constant over the years and attempts to alter it meet controversy.

Despite the resistance to change, 16 states currently have a specific policy allowing year-round schools and 34 states have districts with year-round schools. There are more than 2.3 million students attending one of the more than 3,100 year-round schools nationally.

Thirty-four states require 180 days of school a year, with another eight requiring at least 175. This includes year-round schools.

Recently, state lawmakers have debated whether to establish or to push back a statewide school start date. According to the National Association of State Boards of Education, in a 2002 survey, 15 states reported that the majority of their schools began the year sometime in August exclusively and nearly all others reported mid-August dates through Sept. 3.

Lawmakers have a number of issues to consider when looking at changing the school calendar, including costs, the capacity of school buildings, academic achievement, summer school, No Child Left Behind requirements and statewide uniformity.

LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR DAYS Alabama 175 Alaska 180 Arizona 175 Arkansas 178 California 180 Colorado 170 Connecticut 180 Delaware -- District of...