What Happens If You Don‘t Go To Summer School? A Comprehensive Look
Summer school is often portrayed as the unpleasant consequence of poor academic performance, the punishment students must endure while their luckier peers enjoy a carefree summer. But in reality, not attending required summer school can have major short and long-term repercussions that negatively impact a student‘s entire educational trajectory.
As an education reform expert who has spent decades analyzing policy and data, I have seen first-hand the cascading effects when students fail to benefit from vital summer learning opportunities. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain who is required to attend summer school, delve deeply into the academic and financial impacts of not attending, and provide tips to help students maximize these summer sessions.
Why School Districts Mandate Summer School
Before examining the outcomes, it‘s important to understand why summer school is required for certain students in the first place. There are a few key reasons districts may mandate attendance:
Remedial Support
Students who have fallen behind grade-level expectations in core subjects like math, reading, science, or social studies are often required to attend summer school for remedial support. This includes students who have learning disabilities or other special needs. The individualized instruction in a summer school setting can help fill knowledge gaps and strengthen essential skills so students are better prepared for the next grade level.
According to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics, 21% of students who qualified for special education services attended summer school, compared to just 8% of general education students. For students receiving Special Education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), summer school may even be a legally mandated part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Credit Recovery
Students who have failed to pass required courses during the academic year are required to attend summer school for credit recovery. Retaking a course over the summer allows students to earn the credits needed to progress academically and remain on track with their cohort. This prevents failed courses from piling up and causing students to fall behind.
Research from education data nonprofit Bellwether Education Partners suggests that as many as one-third of high school students have failed a core class that is required for graduation. Of these students, only 60% go on to retake and pass the necessary courses. Summer school provides a critical opportunity for students to get back on track.
Test Preparation
Many districts now mandate summer school for students at key testing benchmarks, particularly those who are below grade level expectations or at risk for low test scores. This includes preparation for standardized tests, End of Course exams, and college readiness assessments like the SAT and ACT. Special summer prep programs focus on skill-building and test-taking strategies to help students enter the next year ready to excel on high-stakes exams.
According to a Johns Hopkins University study, students who attended summer school test preparation programs scored significantly higher on end-of-year assessments than peers who did not. For example, at-risk high school students saw as much as a 45% increase in test scores after participating in summer prep.
The Serious Consequences of Skipping Summer School
Missing required summer school can trigger an interrelated web of negative academic, social, and financial consequences that impact students in both the short and long term. Here‘s a deeper look at what‘s at stake:
Grade Retention
One of the most immediate consequences is the increased likelihood of being held back to repeat the previous grade. Without the chance to recover credits from failed courses over the summer months, students will simply not meet the necessary promotion criteria.
Grade retention is highly problematic – research overwhelmingly indicates that it does not improve student outcomes. In fact, studies show that students held back are 5-10 times more likely to eventually drop out before completing high school. The social stigma and disruption of being separated from their peer group also causes internalized shame and erodes academic self-confidence.
According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), grade retention affects 2-3 million students per year, with retention rates as high as 10% in areas serving low-income populations. Lacking access to summer school is a primary reason students are held back.
Delayed Graduation
In high school, not earning enough credits due to failed courses is one of the leading causes of students not graduating on time with their four-year cohort. Missing summer school can mean the difference between walking across that stage as planned or needing extra years to finally earn a diploma.
Research from the Everyone Graduates Center found that only 60% of students who fall off course for graduation ever recover, and missing school due to factors like lack of summer school is a key driver. Delayed graduation diminishes college and employment prospects and compounds educational challenges.
Lost Scholarships
Minimum GPA requirements are a standard for almost all academic scholarships. Without the chance to retake failed courses over the summer and boost their grades, students are likely to see their GPA drop below the threshold for scholarship renewal.
According to reports from the National College Attainment Network, roughly 20% of first-year college students lose their academic scholarships, with poor performance due to gaps in preparation being a dominant reason. Missing summer school and the chance for credit recovery can be the difference between funding a degree or not.
Long-Term Learning Loss
Perhaps most critically, missing summer school greatly exacerbates the risk of summer learning loss. Research shows students lose an average of two months of academic progress over the summer if they are not engaged in educational activities. When this loss compounds year after year, it causes students to fall progressively further behind peers with consistent summer learning opportunities.
According to findings from the RAND Corporation, summer learning loss disproportionately impacts low-income students. While their more affluent peers often have additional academic opportunities during the summer, students from disadvantaged backgrounds lose roughly 2.6 months of learning progress after 7 years of inconsistent summer learning engagement. This exacerbates achievement gaps.
Social and Emotional Problems
Beyond the academic impacts, studies suggest grade retention and summer learning loss also negatively impact social-emotional growth and self-confidence. Younger students separated from peers due to retention are less mature than older classmates which causes isolation. Older students are embarrassed about being left back. Over time, the frustration and stigma erode students‘ self-worth and belief in their abilities.
Research compiled by the Brookings Institute found that retention dramatically increased dropout rates later in students‘ academic careers. Students held back more than once have an almost 50% likelihood of dropping out altogether. Lack of summer school is a primary reason why students are retained, triggering this long-term harm.
The downstream impacts of not attending mandatory summer school are clearly massive. So how can students and families approach summer sessions constructively, viewing them as an opportunity rather than punishment?
Tips to Help Students Succeed in Summer School
Here are some best practices I recommend based on decades of experience in education reform and policy:
Set Clear Goals
Have an honest conversation about what students hope to gain from summer school, whether it‘s recovering credits, improving particular skills, or boosting grades. Setting defined targets helps motivate students and allows them to track progress. Celebrate incremental wins!
Get Organized from Day One
Summer school compresses a lot of material into a short window. Organization is key! Use folders, planners, and reminders to record assignments and stay on top of course schedules. Don‘t allow small missing deadlines to snowball.
Actively Participate
Ask questions, contribute to group work, and engage with instructors. Students who passively go through the motions won‘t experience the full benefit. Learn from mistakes on practice tests. Stay present even when the content is challenging.
Don‘t Isolate Socially
Being with classmates can ease the sting of having to attend summer school. Form study groups, be friendly to peers, and avoid withdrawing out of embarrassment – isolation will only breed frustration. Everyone is there to learn and improve!
Seek Help When Struggling
Students should never be afraid to ask for help or clarification in summer school! The small settings allow for individual support. If you don‘t understand a concept or assignment, speak up right away before falling further behind.
Attending required summer school may not seem enjoyable in the moment, but students who leverage the experience fully can reverse learning loss and get back on track for the coming year. Think of summer school as academic medicine – a little tough to swallow, but the health benefits are worth it!
The Takeaways on Mandated Summer School Attendance
In my two decades working on education reform efforts, few factors have proven more critical for student success than high-quality, consistent summer learning opportunities. Attending summer school when mandated allows students to catch up, strengthen weaknesses, and mitigate the troubling impacts of lost instructional time and knowledge deterioration over summer break.
While no student dreams of spending cherished summer days cooped up in the classroom, required summer school can provide an academic springboard that launches students into the next year feeling prepared, empowered, and poised for achievement. With family support, student engagement, and research-based programming, summer learning programs help ensure children receive the educational opportunities they need 365 days per year.
Our education system often gets caught up in the minutiae of funding battles, partisan squabbling, and reform fads of the moment. But issues like summer learning highlight the simpler, fundamental realities: students who participate do better, and students who are left out struggle. By expanding access and leveraging summer school effectively, we can help all students realize their potential.
