New Schedule

Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, Hopkins will implement a new seven-block schedule. In an assembly on Friday, January 30, Dean of Academics Kristine Waters presented an image of the new schedule model alongside a complete explanation of its features.

The new schedule was intentionally redesigned to resolve various issues with the current eight-block schedule, which has been in place for over twenty years. Lisa Proulx, Dean of Innovation & Strategic Initiatives, listed the key features of the new schedule: “the biggest wins are the 8:30 a.m. start (with optional office hours beforehand), flex time in the middle of the day, and in the Junior School, a dedicated study hall four days a week.” The later start time will cause school on Wednesday to let out at 1:45 p.m., instead of the current 1:30 p.m. ending. 

Another major feature of the new model is the addition of seventy-five minute blocks to replace the current fifty-five minute block duration. Head of School Matt Glendinning stated, “I am hopeful that the new schedule will lessen the hectic pace of the day at Hopkins, promote deep exploration of all academic subjects, and allow students to explore their interests and passions.” Additionally, Proulx thinks that all of the new features will “create more opportunities for students and faculty to meet for extra help, check-ins, and support.” Classes will also meet every other day, to balance the longer block length. 

In order to design a schedule that works for everyone, a team of Hopkins faculty underwent a two-year process of developing and changing the proposed schedule model. Proulx said that the work started “with an outside consulting firm, and then continued through the Academic Policy Committee.” Additionally, Glendinning noted that  the process consisted of “shadowing students, studying templates from other schools, and seeking regular feedback from faculty,” and some additional surveying. Towards the end of the schedule’s development, “the final decision was made by a “very experienced team of teachers and administrators,” Glendinning remarked. 

With Hopkins containing a record-high number of students and over 130 faculty members, it proved challenging to find a schedule that suits the entire community’s needs. Proulx emphasized that “there is no perfect schedule! Every change comes with tradeoffs.” Glendinning agreed, adding that “it is enormously difficult to design a new model, given the many constituencies in a school, all of whom have different desires and needs.”

Some members of the student body remain apprehensive about how the new schedule will affect their daily lives at school, and class duration is a point of conflict for many. Eliza Chapin ’28 commented that she is “not really digging the idea of seventy-five minute classes” in the new schedule. Scarlett Iaccarino ’28 is worried that it “might be difficult for teachers and students alike to stay focused and engaged,” while Wyatt Kaylor ’28 thinks that “you can do much more in-depth work as you minimize transition time,” but the longer blocks “might make it tricky for students to focus for the duration of the block.” English teacher Hughes Fitzgerald said, “I am looking forward to being able to dig deeper into a text,” and “longer classes allow us to do that.” Fitzgerald also noted that “the concerns that others have expressed about attention spans… is something that I am sympathetic to.”

Although some students and teachers think that the new schedule presents a few issues, the current schedule creates some difficulties in the middle of the day. Proulx noted that “one of the biggest challenges is how the middle of the day is structured,” and Chapin agreed, saying that she has “heard about X block,” and “it seems very annoying.” Similarly, Glendinning stated that “the reason we decided to redesign the schedule was because of consistent feedback from students and faculty that the current model creates a fairly hectic day.” Ada Rose ’29 is worried that “everywhere in Hopkins will be too busy” during the flex block occurring around lunchtime with the new schedule.

Hopkins tested the new schedule with a two-day run through on February 23 and 24. Proulx said that “we can’t perfectly map our current eight-block model onto the new seven-block schedule, so the test days won’t be a fully accurate simulation.” Additionally, she noted that “there will naturally be an adjustment period as people get used to pacing, focus, and routines in the longer class periods,” which is the primary concern of most students. More testing is planned in April, before full-time implementation in the upcoming school year. Although there are many changes to come, Iaccarino thinks that “once we give it a try, it won’t be as bad as we think.”