LWSD’s high school schedule change draws ire from students

High school students and parents have largely reacted negatively to the schedule changes announced by the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) to reduce high school schedules from seven to six periods, which effectively reduces the number of elective classes that students can take.

In October, the district had announced plans to reduce high school schedules from seven to six periods due to budget cuts. On Feb. 19, LWSD superintendent Jon Holmen followed up with the official six period schedules for the 2025-2026 school year.

Holman said in a statement that the new schedule increases instructional class time for each class from 135 to 152 hours annually. The block schedule allows each class to meet four times per week, including two 80 minute periods and two 45 minute periods.

It also includes a 10-minute passing period between classes from Monday to Thursday, and seven-minute passing periods on Fridays, which the district said is aimed at helping to reduce stress and improve transitions, according to a frequently asked questions page. This is an increase from five-minute passing periods today.

“We know that there is no perfect schedule, yet we work to meet a number of interests and benefits based on stakeholder input,” said Holman.

Many high school students and parents were not happy with the new schedule, with classes in each day running out of order, and with varying durations.

“Learning a new schedule is already complicated at the beginning of the school year,” said Kayal Kamalraj, a freshman at Eastlake. “At this point, I might as well give up and walk into the nearest classroom.”

Many parents have also expressed their confusion and discontent about the new schedule online in groups like the LWSD parent’s page.

Holmen said these schedule changes allow the district to meet the state’s annual requirements for 1,027 instructional hours for all grades.

A petition asking the district to reverse course has over 1,200 signatures. On platforms such as  Instagram, students have formed a union to organize against the change.

“I think that it could have been changed differently,” Nithilla Ganesan, an Eastlake freshman, said. “I understand that the schedule had to be a bit different and I like how it can accommodate students who might want extra help in a subject, but I feel like it could have been done in a better, less mix-matched way.”