PGCPS Set to Welcome Students for 2023-24 School Year on August 21

February 8, 2023

As Prince George County Public Schools approaches the halfway point of the 2022-23 School Year, the district is actively preparing for the start of the upcoming academic year as PGCPS transitions to an August 2023 start date for students and staff.

In November 2022, the Prince George School Board approved the district's 2023-24 School Year calendar, which features a first day of school date for students of Monday, August 21, 2023, and a last day of school for students of May 30, 2024. In the months leading up to the calendar's approval, the division engaged with stakeholders to garner insights and feedback regarding school start dates, including virtual and in-person town halls and digital surveys.

As part of the research process into the district's decision to move to an August start date, several benefits were acknowledged, including:

• Alignment with dual enrollment college schedules
• Consistent with the start of regional programs PGCPS participates in, including CodeRVA, Maggie L. Walker Governor's School, Appomattox Regional Governor's School, and Rowanty Technical Center
• Alignment with neighboring school divisions
• The start of fall athletics more closely aligns with the beginning of the school year
• Fewer instructional weeks remain after end-of-year, state-mandated Standards of Learning testing

During the development of the current 2022-23 School Year calendar, Prince George County Public Schools, with the support of the Prince George School Board, moved to forgo an August start date to school by one year, deferring the transition to the 2023-24 School Year. The district opted for this one-year delay to allow families, faculty, and staff the opportunity to adjust their schedules with ample time before the transition in 2023.

Following the Prince George School Board's approval of the 2023-24 School Year calendar in November 2022, the document was distributed to families and staff across the district's communications channels. Key details of this coming school year's calendar include:

• August 7, 2023: New teachers report; buildings open for returning teachers
• August 9, 2023: All faculty and staff report
• August 7-18, 2023: Teacher Workdays and Professional Development Days for Faculty and Staff
• August 21, 2023: First Day of School for Students
• November 20-24, 2023: Fall/Thanksgiving Break
• December 22, 2023 - January 5, 2024: Winter/ Christmas Break
• April 1-5, 2024: Spring Break
• May 30, 2024: Last Day of School for Students
• May 31, 2024: Graduation Day

The calendar provides a four-day weekend for students and staff on September 1-4 in observance of Labor Day. It also retains the one-week holiday break for Thanksgiving on November 20-24, which has been a supported addition to the district’s calendar since 2020, and two-week Christmas break from December 22, 2023-January 5, 2024.

Additionally, this calendar is consistent with neighboring school divisions, including Chesterfield and Henrico counties, and the City of Colonial Heights. This consistency in schedules helps support the district’s teachers and staff members with securing childcare for their families.

PGCPS will also be rolling out a community awareness campaign to remind families, staff, and the Prince George community about this upcoming change to the school start date in the county. Press releases, digital and social media communications, automated phone calls, and emails are all planned to be distributed beginning in the coming weeks. The campaign will continue through the end of the 2022-23 School Year in mid-June into the summer months.

Families are encouraged to visit the division's main website at http://www.pgs.k12.va.us or their child's school website to view the calendar and other helpful resources ahead of the August 2023 start date.