Education

Bill to add seven days to Oklahoma school year clears Senate committee

April 7, 2026

Ray Carter

Currently, Oklahoma has one of the shortest school years in the nation, as measured by the minimum number of days, but legislation to add another seven days to the school calendar is rapidly advancing in the Oklahoma Legislature.

Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, believes the state’s very short school year plays a significant role in the state’s bottom-of-the-nation academic outcomes.

“We’re just not competing because we’re not in school enough,” Paxton said. “It’s something I’ve been pounding the desk about for a long time.”

Currently, Oklahoma mandates only 166 days of school each year, so long as school is in session for 1,080 hours. That’s far shorter than most states.

According to the Education Commission of the States, 36 states mandate a minimum number of days per school year. The commission reports that 29 states set a minimum of at least 180 days. Neighboring Kansas requires 186 days. Only one state mandates fewer days than Oklahoma.

House Bill 3151, by state Rep. Rob Hall and Paxton, would raise the minimum number of school days per year to 173 starting in the 2027-2028 school year, so long as lawmakers also provide another $175 million in funding over the next two years. The bill has already passed out of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Given that this year’s budget agreement includes more than $230 million in new money for K-12 education, the trigger in HB 3151 will be hit this year, and the school-calendar change will take effect in the 2027-2028 school year.

Of the more than 500 school districts in Oklahoma, Paxton said 176 do not currently meet the 173-day mandate.

But opponents dismissed the idea that students will learn more if they spend more time in class with Oklahoma teachers.

“Are you aware that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development—this is a global organization—has found that there is little correlation between instructional time and performance?” said state Sen. Carri Hicks, an Oklahoma City Democrat who is a former teacher.

Paxton said it is obvious that more instructional time leads to better classroom results.

“This isn’t rocket science from the standpoint of all the empirical data out there,” Paxton said. “If you have a job and you show up less than your competition does, you’re probably not going to do as good of a job. You’re probably not going to compete. We’re showing that here. In my real life, I’m in sales. If I show up at work three years less than my competitor over a 12-year period, I assure you I will have a much more difficult time competing.”

Even with the increase to 173 days, Paxton noted Oklahoma will still be well below the national norm of 180 days of school.

HB 3151 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 7-3 vote. The bill will next receive a vote from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The measure has been endorsed by a wide range of groups, including the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA), Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA), Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE), Organization of Rural Oklahoma Schools (OROS), United Suburban Schools Association (USSA), ExcelinEd, and the Oklahoma State Chamber.