Starting in the 2026-27 school year, 15 minutes will be added to each school day at New Caney ISD’s three main high schools to help with student learning, district officials said.

What’s new

Beginning in August, the school day will begin five minutes sooner—at 7:40 a.m.—while class will be dismissed 10 minutes later—at 3:20 p.m.—daily for NCISD high schoolers, said Scott Powers, executive director of public relations for NCISD, via a Nov. 21 email.

Impacted schools will include:

• New Caney High School
• Porter High School
• West Fork High School

“We’re always looking for ways to get better, to do what’s best for kids, to listen to our staff—just [to] strike that balance every day around here. ... We think this is what’s best for our kids and our teachers,” Superintendent Matt Calvert said during the NCISD board of trustees’ Nov. 17 meeting.

Cesar Condarco, executive director of secondary education for NCISD, noted the change is not expected to impact buses.

Some context

Students will still have an eight-period schedule for the 2026-27 school year, but a few minutes will be added throughout the day, Condarco said.

The schedule change is designed to give students time to receive academic support or advanced learning opportunities without taking time from their core classes, Powers said.

“With a slightly longer period structure, teachers can administer reading and writing assessments that better build stamina, conduct science labs without rushing or splitting them across multiple days and collaborate more effectively during team planning,” Powers said. “These are improvements that benefit every student.”

The new schedule will also allow for more professional development opportunities in the school year for teachers, Condarco said.

Going forward

District leaders plan to use this schedule for at least the next few years and collect data to see whether the change is effective, Condarco said.