Blame DEI for Fairfax’s crazy school schedule

Published June 5, 2026 5:00am ET



Millions of school children across the country are enjoying their summer vacations, but not the students of Fairfax County Public Schools, in Virginia, who still have almost two weeks of school ahead of them. A mid-June release date is not that uncommon for schools elsewhere, but those that end in June usually begin after Labor Day. That is not the case with Fairfax County Public Schools. Its schools start in August and run through June, the longest school year in America.

This is because of an embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Fairfax County Public Schools has created one of the most bloated and chaotic calendars in the country: an August-to-June school year, an unusually short summer, a long list of student holidays, and remarkably few normal five-day weeks. This helps no one, inconveniences parents, disrupts student learning, and encourages delinquency.

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