Approved School Bell Times for 2022-2023

Bell times for the start and end of the school day for next year were adjusted to better serve families and schools: 

1. by ensuring bus routes among the three tiers (elementary, middle, and high school) run smoothly, 
2. by limiting student ride time to the extent possible,
3. by ensuring the start and end times for instruction meet the requirements in N.C. General Statutes, and our planned instructional minutes are on target with what actually occurs in the classroom, and
4. by ensuring that teachers and staff have additional instructional planning time each day.

Please keep in mind that “bell times” refer to the actual period of time (start and end) for classroom instruction during the school day. From “bell to bell”, students will be engaged in classroom instruction/activities. (This does not include lunch periods, movement between classes, or packing up early.) This means that instruction begins at the start of the first bell. Please ensure your child arrives early enough to school so they can be in place and ready to learn when instruction starts.  Additionally, instruction does not end and students do not pack up for dismissal prior to the dismissal bell at the end of the day.  This ensures effective classroom instruction, “bell to bell”.  

Again, these adjustments are to ensure we are following School Calendar Law, and that we are maximizing the amount of time our teachers have to teach students in the classroom.

In order to gather feedback from stakeholders on bell times and school calendars for future school years, the Operations Department will deploy staff and family surveys to collect input on the approved bell schedules and future school calendars. We will utilize this feedback as we start preparing school calendars for the 2023-2024 school year this coming October.  Please watch your inbox for more details coming this summer.