Mount Vernon High School proposes block‑8 schedule for 2026‑27 to expand student options

Brooke Thorpe, principal of Mount Vernon High School, presented a proposal on March 10 to change the high school schedule from the current block‑4 model to an alternating block‑8 schedule beginning in the 2026‑27 school year.

Thorpe said the high school has used a block schedule since the late 1990s but “we feel like we have outgrown our schedule.” The principal told the board the proposed block‑8 model would alternate four classes one day and four different classes the next day over a ten‑day rotation so each course meets five times in ten days. Thorpe said the change is intended to reduce long gaps between sequential courses (for example, a student taking a class in fall and not resuming the sequence until the following spring), make the school day better align with college and dual‑credit pacing, and increase flexibility for electives and CTE offerings.

“We want to provide more flexibility for our students so that they have more opportunities,” Thorpe said. The presentation said the staff engaged department chairs, certified and classified staff, parent focus groups and student focus groups. Thorpe reported that most staff and parents who provided feedback favored the block‑8 option; the majority of students also favored block‑8 while some preferred retaining block‑4 and none favored a seven‑period day.

Thorpe said the district would keep a daily student resource period (similar to a study hall), that teachers’ loads and prep time would not change, and that the district needs a year to phase the change so students can meet graduation requirements. The principal said implementing the change a year after approval would give counselors time to make sure students can take required sequences, such as two world language classes.

The board was told the high school intends to bring a single action item for the board’s consideration at the next meeting.