From Head of School Dave Skeen

September 19

Dear Spartanburg Day School Learning Community,

Over the last month, I have often started conversations with many of you with the idea that we can’t believe it is already September and that another school year is fully in bloom. So what I am writing about this afternoon may create some dissonance in your thinking. For that, I apologize. I wanted to take this opportunity and forum to announce our key dates for the 2026-27 school year. That’s right - next school year! There are two major revisions to the calendar: we will start school a week later, and we will extend classes at the end of the year through what has been a “dead” week between the end of classes and our graduation. Let me explain: 

For the 2026-27 school year, we plan to push back the start of school by a week. If we were to stay on our current trajectory, we would end Camp Griffin on July 31, 2026, and ask new teachers to return to work on August 3, 2026, current faculty on August 4, 2026, and start school on August 12, 2026. In reviewing this with our Operations Team, we found we needed more time to transition the campus from Camp Griffin to the return of faculty. Additionally, we were unnecessarily impeding on the summer, which we value as a necessary opportunity for student rest and rejuvenation. So next year, our first day of school will be Wednesday, August 19, 2026. 

In analyzing pushing back the start of school by a week, we also felt that we needed to push the end of school into the “dead week” we currently have between the end of classes and graduation. Next school year, we will move the last day of students attending school to Wednesday, May 26, 2027, and keep graduation as the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, May 28, 2027. This plan offers several benefits to the school: 

Starting a week later:

  • We gain a week on the front end of the school year for summer vacation for families

  • We don’t have to ask faculty to return to campus in the first days of August

  • We gain a transition work week for the school to convert from Camp Griffin to the SDS school

Extending classes into the week of graduation:

  • We can separate AP exams and SDS exams, making that burden on faculty and students more manageable

  • We provide more options for families who have few options during the current dead week in terms of child care

  • We meet our SAIS accreditation standard of 170 days, with days built in for weather-related closures. (175 days)

You will find a link to our key dates for the 2026-27 school year in this Griffin Days newsletter. We hope that sending these dates early in the current school year provides plenty of lead time for any family plans that you are considering for next year. 

Go Griffins!

Sincerely,

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