If you are in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School district as either staff or student, the options given for the school calendar for 2026-2027 are much more divergent than at first glance.

Why? Because it doesn’t tell you when the exams will be given.

The “traditional” calendar has the first semester after the winter break. That means exams for the fall semester and all EOCT’s (for at least the high schools) would happen after an extended break.

When students on the “modified” schedule take exams before the winter break, they tend to do better. Plus the winter break marks the end of a semester. Come back the new year and start fresh with the new semester.

Furthermore, the “modified” schedule gives your AP students two more weeks of instruction to prepare for the AP tests.

And if you are worried about what the state says about starting earlier in August, remember that they can’t even pass a new budget.

Vote for the “Modified” schedule.