For the past three years, James Breckinridge and Lucy Addison have operated on a 75-minute “block” period during their school year.
Now, Roanoke City Public Schools will be pivoting the rest of their middle schools to this function.
Roanoke City middle schools will transition to a five-block schedule starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
This means that John P. Fishwick, Woodrow Wilson and James Madison will be moving to the new five-block schedule for the 2026-2027 school year.
The school days will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4:15 p.m., with block three giving students 75 minutes of class and a 25-minute “lunch” break.
This is set to add around 75 extra hours of learning to the school year, equivalent to around 10 extra days.
Core classes will still be taught every day, but electives will alternate on an A/B rotation. For example, kids can have band on an “A” day and health/PE on a “B” day. A third elective is also available, which would go down as an optional “Zero Period” that starts at 8:30 a.m.
Roanoke City schools believes that students will benefit from fewer daily transitions and get them ready for high school.
Middle school students will also need to re-register for their electives in early March to prepare for the upcoming school year.
If you still need more information, Roanoke City Public Schools will be hosting family information nights on Tuesday to help families with the transition. John P. Fishwick and Woodrow Wilson will host theirs at 5 p.m. and James Madison will be at 6:30 p.m.