It’s finally that time of year when summer vacation is approaching. School is almost out and students are eager to be done. However, with summer only being around two months long, students have strong opinions on the length of vacation.

The last day of school is June 15th and the next school year begins on September 5th. That means that summer is around 81 days long. Is this too short? 

Jessica Brann, a senior, said, “I only think summer is slightly too short.” She added that school should end earlier than mid-June, as “being in school in the hotter months is miserable and makes it difficult to learn.” 

Helen Burke, a junior, said the same. She explained, “I feel that summer should be a little bit longer (up to two weeks). I stay very busy in summer and want to enjoy it for as long as I can.” Burke also added that, although she is busy, she is not stressed, unlike at school. 

A sophomore, Molly Burke, believes that summer is too long. She said, “[Summer] is too long since it makes you fall behind on vital concepts taught in school.” Burke believes that summer is a time to work towards your future, but many students disagree, thinking that “summer vacation is time to slack off.” 

Molly Burke also added that, because summer vacation cannot be shortened, “students should receive extra school work to complete over the summer.” Some examples she gave were reading a 300+ page book each month and receiving workbooks to complete over vacation. 

However, the majority of students believe that summer is the perfect length. For example, Emily Jones, a junior, said, “I feel like I get really bored of summer towards the end.” Because of this, she thinks the length of summer should not be any longer. 

Another junior, Paul Madison, agrees with Jones. Madison said, “I think summer is a good length because, while I don’t want to go to school towards the end of summer, I start to think about my future classes and who’s going to be in them.” He also explained that when he isn’t busy enough, summer can become boring very quickly. 

Chloe Hurd had a very logical answer. She said, “I totally understand the current length of our summers because we go to a public school.” Since federal law states that 180 days of school are required, summer will never be any longer or shorter. Hurd feels that, although it is sad to go back to school, she still feels that “our current summers have a good timeframe.”

At Pentucket, there is a wide variety of opinions on the length of summer. The majority believe it should stay the same, while others think it should be longer or shorter. Overall, whether students believe summer is too short or not, it is unlikely that it will change anytime soon.