? RE: Michigan Schools' Start Date

For those living in Michigan, when do your kids head back to school? We're looking at a late August vacation in Mackinaw, but if schools don't start back until after Labor Day, we may postpone and wait until first week in September to let the crowds settle down. Thanks for your input!

Hi Sylvia!! The law NOW says that Michigan starts after Labor Day....but some schools still might have old, multi-year contracts that affects the school calendar. I'd call your local district's admin. office, and they can tell you. Most are in regular hours (8-4 or so) during the summer.

Hi Sherry! Thanks for your input. I talked to my daughter and Waverly schools don't start until after Labor Day, so I'm thinking most schools have opted for the "after Labor Day start time". Guess we'll move our Mackinac Island trip until the week after Labor Day when we're sure all kids are back in school.

(P.S. - Looking forward to our get-together corn roast in August!! YUMMY!!)

I have a friend in Michigan and she says that the schools aren't starting until after Labor Day in order to extend the tourist season. The state has really been promoting tourism.

Back when I first started teaching, Michigan was starting after Labor Day. Then things changed to earlier in Aug. start so tourist season could start right away in June. Now, we have returned to the post-Labor day start....With the required number of days (now the required number of hours) of instruction, the tourist season can only be only just so long....

kjsgrammy said:

For those living in Michigan, when do your kids head back to school? We're looking at a late August vacation in Mackinaw, but if schools don't start back until after Labor Day, we may postpone and wait until first week in September to let the crowds settle down. Thanks for your input!

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There is usually a big "to do" in Michigan at the Mackinaw Bridge on Labor Day -- a parade across the bridge, led by the governor, I think. In general, Labor Day seems to be a major holiday in Michigan. I'm not sure if this is because organized labor is so powerful here, or whether it's because Michigan has such distinct seasons, making the end of summer a big deal! Both, maybe. At any rate I'd expect the area to be pretty busy Labor Day weekend.

The Mackinaw area usually stays warm in early September due to the moderating influence of all those Great Lakes. (In general, I'd say Michigan's seasons are delayed several weeks from most other areas.)

Thanks everyone! We live in Michigan, so I'm aware of the Labor Day activities at the Mackinac Bridge - we avoid traveling anywhere on Labor Day weekend because of the crowds. We just stay around home and enjoy kayaking on our small lake. And for those living in Michigan, you all have experienced the many "orange barrels" dotting our highways and causing gridlock lately. What a mess!! Hopefully alot of the roadwork will be completed prior to that big weekend for those who intend to travel.

Anyway, after discussion with the "golfaholic" in our family, I think we will wait until after the Labor Day crowd to go north to Mackinac Island and surrounding areas.