Students bemoan reduction in classes as LWSD plans high school schedule changes
High school has always been viewed as an opportunity to expand your horizons and try new things. But with Lake Washington School District (LWSD) proposing a schedule change from seven to six periods starting in the 2025 to 2026 school year, students are complaining about limited learning opportunities as a result of one less period in high school.
Superintendent Dr. Jon Holmen released a statement on Oct. 1 announcing the change of seven to six period schedules, starting in the next school year. This change covers all LWSD high schools, including Eastlake and Tesla STEM. The plan was put into action to cut costs.
Holmen introduced options for outside of school credit, summer course opportunities, before and after-school periods, and other options for students who want to recoup the lost period outside of regular school day. Based on sample schedules released in a survey issued by the district, they are considering schedules where students have all six classes daily, in contrast to current “block” periods where each class is taken three times a week. Details of how each school day will be structured remain unclear and are in the process of creation.
While it may seem like a stress reliever to have fewer periods, many high school students are disappointed and frustrated with this change. Almost 3,000 people, including students, have signed a petition to stop it from happening.
One common thread that several students have raised was the lack of classes to explore electives and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which they felt will impact college admissions and future career preparation.
“High school is all about exploring our interests and with the new six period schedule, that takes three classes out of our high school journey,” said Aadhya Srinivasan, a freshman at Eastlake High School. “We only have one class next year to actually explore what we want to do for our career.”
“The lack of elective class choices limits our AP and honors classes,” said Timothy An, a freshman at Tesla STEM High School. “What does that result in? Angry kids, parents…so it’s likely many families will leave but also the district as a whole will not be able to offer a rigorous program.”
Students are pointing to the fact that seven periods over four years allows them to achieve a maximum of 28 credits, which is four more credits than the state graduation requirement of 24 credits. Six period schedules yield only 24 credits, which means that students must pass every class to graduate and are more limited in their course options.
This schedule change also disrupts high school plans for many students. Arnav Kaja, an Eastlake sophomore, is one of many students who had laid out a plan of courses he would take in high school that would not only meet graduation requirements, but also allow him to take other classes he was interested in.
“The removal of two periods in my high school career will probably lead to me dropping at least one AP and another class I was interested in,” Kaja said.
Music and art electives will likely be dropped by many students. Others will have to arrive at school earlier to participate in these programs before school starts.
“Because kids seek to take more academic classes for college, they’ll prioritize keeping their academic classes over their art ones like orchestra or band. I know I’m personally going to have to drop orchestra for French, because French leads to an AP,” said Vivian Gu, a sophomore who currently participates in Eastlake’s orchestra program. “It’s unfortunate. I really enjoy orchestra [and] the community and the music.”
On the other hand, this schedule could provide benefits for student athletes who are looking for a lighter course load. Paxton Jacobsen is an Eastlake sophomore who participates in several school sports.
“I think it will make it so student athletes won’t have as much stress because of less homework since everyday after school we have two hours of practice or a game,” Jacobsen said. “It will allow people to spend less time on homework and less stress for that.”
This change will also remove opportunities for free periods during senior year. Free periods are offered to allow more time for seniors to focus on schoolwork, college applications, and to alleviate stress.
“Many seniors no longer have the opportunity for a free period which is upsetting, because I already built that into my schedule ever since freshman year,” Lucy Wheeler, a junior at Eastlake, said.
It is clear that most students are not benefiting from this schedule change. Not only will it limit students’ freedom in exploring their interests, but it will also have a significant impact on their college applications and preparation for future careers. LWSD will likely face significant opposition by pushing through something that will negatively impact the students that they have promised to serve.
LWSD is holding one virtual and four in-person community forums regarding this change. Eastlake’s forum will be held on Oct. 22 and the online forum will be held on Oct. 23, both from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The district has also issued surveys to students and parents.
