Flex Time in Real Schools: Results from 100+ Districts

Jackson Hole High School is a 9-12 school in Jackson, Wyoming, serving 891 students and about 115 staff. Rather than defaulting students into a homeroom, Jackson Hole lets every student start the day unscheduled, putting the responsibility to plan their time in their own hands. Students now drive 65% of their own schedule changes, and the district’s graduation rate has climbed to 98%.

Westwood High School built its S Block flex program to address years of student feedback about stress and a lack of time in the day. The 60-minute daily block anchors nearly 900 students in a consistent home base, from which they flex into extra help, enrichment, and teacher-created offerings, driving over 87,000 student-initiated schedule changes a year. The school has since seen a marked drop in students receiving D, F, and Incomplete grades.

At Wilmington High School, a decade-old, unstructured flex block gave way to something far more intentional. After surveying the school community, one priority beat every other: protect flex block. The result is an 88-minute daily period where students drive nearly half of all schedule changes themselves, with ripple effects showing up in rising math scores and a surprise attendance boost for the Best Buddies club.

Newton North High School redesigned its schedule to put its values first. The 2,130-student high school in the Boston metro area, with 445 staff members, grounded their WIN Block in academic excellence, equity, and social-emotional learning. The result: flex time moved to the middle of the day, so every student could actually access it.

Nashua School District has two high schools: Nashua North and Nashua South, with a combined 300 teachers and 4,000 students. These two campuses allow students to travel back and forth to take classes and E-Block, or Enrichment Block, offerings at both locations. E-Block runs daily for 35 minutes for 4,000 students across two schools, taught by a combined 300 staff.

North Middlesex Regional High School is a rural, regional school in MA. They launched their flex time in 2019 to give students who couldn’t attend extra help after school an opportunity to get time with their teachers. Since then, it has grown into a valuable opportunity for SEL and enrichment. In addition to traditional flex, AP and Science teachers also use flex time for labs and extra learning opportunities.

See how MyFlexLearning can make your school day run smoothly.