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It’s that time of the year again.

With the end of the 2019–2020 school year fast approaching, the NYC Department of Education is getting ready for the start of the summer instructional season.

Or, y’know: Summer School:

GIF of Jim Halpert from the Office performing Jazz Hands

And with more NYC students than ever attending school this summer, we’re sure there are many of you with questions about our schools’ summer programming.

Here are answers to some questions you may have about summer school in NYC this year:

What will summer school look like this year?

This year, summer school will take place entirely through remote learning. In addition to academic instruction, students participating in summer school programs will also have opportunities to go on self-paced virtual field trips and engage in daily social-emotional learning activities. Unfortunately, we will not be operating elective Summer Academy and school-based enrichment programs this year. Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) programs like Beacon, COMPASS, and SONYC are also suspended for this summer.

Who will be attending summer school this year?

Students in Grades 3–8:

Students who are not promoted to the next grade in June 2020 will be required to attend summer school this summer. They will participate in six weeks of remote instruction beginning Monday, July 6 through Tuesday, August 11. Classes will be held Monday through Thursday.

In addition, some students in grades 3–8 who are promoted in June may be recommended by their teacher for additional academic support over the summer. This support will also take place from Monday, July 6 to Tuesday, August 11, Monday through Thursday.

Students in Grades 9–12:

Students who receive a grade of “Course in Progress” (NX), or who need to retake a course to stay on track to graduation, will participate in remote instruction for the course(s) in which they need to earn credit. Remote instruction for those students will run from Monday, July 6 to Friday, August 14. Classes will be scheduled within Monday through Friday.

Your school will notify you in June if your child is required or recommended to participate in summer learning programs.

Students with 12-month Individualized Education Program (IEP) services:

Students in all grades with 12-month IEPs will participate in remote summer programming from Thursday, July 2 to Thursday, August 13. Those classes will be held Monday through Friday. All students who are receiving, or eligible to receive, these services will be contacted by their school shortly.

Students enrolled in Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs):

Students who enroll in summer school and who attend RECs will engage in remote learning at the REC site, similar to how they are currently engaging in school-year remote learning at RECs.

Girl lying down on a sofa while reading a book

One of the best things students can do this summer to avoid “summer learning loss,” is to read books for fun. For book suggestions, check out our NYC Reads 365 lists, and start picking out books today! (Photo Credit: Bethany Petrik, “Reading.” Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Flickr.)


We hope this information has helped to address some of your questions. Going forward, we will continue to share resources and summer-specific activities on our Summer School webpage in the coming weeks so that all students can explore new and exciting ways to continue their learning this summer.

For questions about the DOE’s new grading policy, check out our feature, “Questions About This Year’s Grading Policy,” right here on The Morning Bell. If you have any specific questions about your student’s progress, please contact your school counselor, teacher, or principal.

On behalf of the DOE, we wish all of our students a strong finish to the 2019–20 school year!

Official blog for the NYC Department of Education, home of a million students across 1,800+ schools

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