Berkeley Heights students walked into classrooms Tuesday, Sept. 1, a full week before Labor Day. They are part of a growing wave of districts no longer waiting for the holiday to start the school year.
An analysis by NJ21st published Monday, Aug. 31, found that 14 of 18 school districts across Union, Essex, Somerset and Morris counties opened with students before Labor Day this fall. Last year, only seven of those same districts did.
New Providence follows Thursday, Sept. 3. Summit students will not report until Tuesday, Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, making Summit one of just four holdouts alongside Mountainside, Bernards and Bridgewater-Raritan.
Three reasons behind earlier starts
The biggest factor is the calendar itself. Labor Day falls Monday, Sept. 7, this year, the latest it can land. In 2025, it fell on Sept. 1, the earliest possible date, which kept most districts from starting in August.
NJ21st, citing a confidentially sourced local educator, identified three structural forces pushing start dates earlier.
First, College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams begin on a fixed national date each May. Students in states like Pennsylvania, where school starts in mid-August, get two to three extra weeks of instruction before those tests. Districts that opened the full week before Labor Day, such as Chatham and Livingston on Monday, Aug. 31, gain at least five instructional days over post-Labor Day districts like Summit.
Second, 11 of the 18 districts analyzed will finish the school year by June 18 or earlier. Summit's last day for students is June 16, 2027, according to the district calendar approved Oct. 9, 2025.
Third, fall athletes are already competing. Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights played its football season opener Friday, Aug. 28, and opened tennis earlier that week, bringing students and families back to town before classes began.
Berkeley Heights and New Providence gear up
At a Berkeley Heights Board of Education meeting Friday, Aug. 28, families raised concerns about bus routes ahead of the Sept. 1 opening, TAPinto reported. Board President Deb Tererro and Superintendent Dr. Kim Feltre said administrative turnover and system delays had compressed the bus-route planning schedule.
Business Administrator Jennifer Nicholson said the district was ready for a strong start.
In New Providence, new students can attend open houses before Thursday's first day: Allen W. Roberts School on Tuesday from 10 to 11 a.m., New Providence Middle School on Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. and Salt Brook School on Wednesday from 3:45 to 5 p.m., according to Patch.
NJ21st noted the pre-Labor Day trend may not persist. From 2027 through 2030, Labor Day arrives before Sept. 7, which could push some districts back past the holiday. For now, Summit's Sept. 8 start and June 16 finish sit within the regional range, but neighbors in Berkeley Heights and New Providence are banking extra instructional days before AP season.
