A Brand New Day: Tabor Embraces a New Schedule for 2025-2026

A chorus of cheers and applause followed an announcement in February that changes would be made to the daily and school-year schedules for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Guided by our strategic plan, Head of School Tony Jacacci charged a faculty-led study group to conduct a comprehensive review of the school’s academic architecture. Led by Tabor faculty members Matt Voci, Lauren Boucher, and Chris Gibbs, the review included input from faculty members, an analysis of best practices and schedules from over 100 peer institutions, and conversations with school leadership about priorities. The ultimate goal was to identify opportunities to enhance the student experience through purposeful, actionable modifications. 

As a result, a number of daily and weekly changes will go into effect September 2025. These include:

• An increase in academic time on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. 
• A day that starts together intentionally, as a school or with advisories. 
• A longer meeting block on Wednesday morning for faculty development and class meetings.
• Sixty-minute classes with protected passing time to allow for better transitions between classes.
• A longer lunch block. 
• Dedicated office hours 4 days a week to ensure students have more opportunities to access their teachers outside of class time.

"While there are some clear academic gains to the schedule shifts, a major component of the schedule changes is how we want our students to experience their time here at Tabor," says Matt Voci, Math & Computer Science Department Chair.

Voci also confirms changes and improvements to the annual academic calendar, including an earlier commencement date and formal exam periods. He says, "The additional goals in the annual calendar reflect our desire to reduce cognitive load by providing more consistency in the daily schedule,"

Through their research and conversations, the committee determined that prioritizing an uninterrupted 5-day week would allow for consistent schedules and routines to develop for students. 

Students will now have classes that meet at least three times each week and the increases in rotation will ensure each student's open block appears more frequently allowing greater access to ASSIST (learning support), college counseling, or down-time during the day to spend with peers or complete academic work. 

Members of the committee note that feedback from students, alums, parents, and faculty was an essential component of the decision making process. In particular, Co-Director of College Counseling Lauren Boucher, reflects on how the team utilized feedback from alums to recognize that a return to a dedicated exam week would be in the best interest of students.

"We always love catching up with Tabor graduates when they return to campus. We ask about their transition, their classes, and how they’re adapting to residential life. Most often, the feedback is positive, with grads enthusiastically sharing how well Tabor prepared them," says Boucher.

She notes however that some expressed feeling less prepared for the structure of a formal exam period, given that end of year exams have been embedded within the regular class schedule for the past several years. In response, she hopes that, "Tabor’s return to dedicated exam weeks as part of next year’s annual schedule will help students learn how to plan, prepare, and study effectively—both at Tabor and in college."

Voci echoes that, saying, "The return of midterm and final exams for students highlights an emphasis on formative and cumulative learning processes, as well as greater preparation for the college experience."

In a letter to families detailing the coming changes, Mr. Jacacci highlighted the critical nature of strategic planning as a necessary part of adapting and changing to the demands of the world "in order to best prepare our graduates for success." All of the changes and adjustments to the program are methodically and thoughtfully designed to "strengthen our school, community, and your student’s learning and overall experience.”

The benefits are numerous and come down to one guiding principle – students making stronger connections with their teachers. Intentionally beginning each day in community encourages all to connect and prepare purposefully for that day’s instruction. Increasing instruction time and improving the consistency and predictability of the daily schedule will allow for more frequent contact with students and better coverage of content throughout the year.