California instructional minutes calculator
California requires 36,000 instructional minutes a year in TK and kindergarten, 50,400 in grades 1 to 3, 54,000 in grades 4 to 8 and 64,800 in grades 9 to 12, over at least 180 days. Pick your grades and paste your bell schedule to check your year.
California, grades 4 to 8: 54,000 minutes and 180 days a year, at least 240 minutes a day.
Your school year
Meets the California minimum
57,535 minutes of 54,000
A planning aid, not a ruling: the California Department of Education has the final word.
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Where the minutes come from
| Day type | Days | Each day | Year |
|---|
PE minutes, every 10 school days
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How California counts instructional minutes
Each grade span needs its annual minutes and 180 days (EC 46207, 46208). Lunch and nutrition breaks don’t count. Recess counts only for TK and kindergarten under a certificated employee’s supervision. Elementary schools that offer recess must also give at least 30 minutes on regular days and 15 on early release days (EC 49056); meal time is not recess. Passing time counts when students move between classes, for the time it actually takes. This page leaves out passing next to lunch or nutrition; some districts count one such period (LAUSD counts one, of normal length, under BUL-6144.4).
| Grades | Each year | Days | Minimum day |
|---|---|---|---|
| TK and kindergarten | 36,000 minutes | 180 | 180 min |
| Grades 1 to 3 | 50,400 minutes | 180 | 230 min |
| Grades 4 to 8 | 54,000 minutes | 180 | 240 min |
| Grades 9 to 12 | 64,800 minutes | 180 | 240 min |
A day counts only if it reaches the minimum school day, or if 10 school days in a row that include it average the minimum (2 days in high school), down to a floor (EC 46114, 46142). Charter schools need 175 days and have no daily minimum.
Questions about instructional time in California
What is a minimum day in California?
The shortest day that still counts: 180 minutes in TK and kindergarten, 230 in grades 1 to 3 and 240 in grades 4 to 12. A shorter day can count if 10 school days in a row that include it average the minimum, but never below 60, 170 or 180 minutes. High schools average over 2 days.
Does recess count in California?
Only for TK and kindergarten pupils under the supervision of a certificated employee (EC 46117 counts their 180-minute day inclusive of recesses). For grades 1 to 12, recess, lunch and nutrition breaks are left out.
Do charter schools have to meet the annual minutes?
Yes, the same minutes as districts, but 175 days and no daily minimum, according to CDE. Tick Charter school above to check that way.
How many PE minutes are required in California?
200 minutes each 10 school days in grades 1 to 6, not counting recess and lunch (EC 51210), and 400 minutes each 10 school days in grades 7 to 12 (EC 51222). The PE check below tests every run of 10 school days in your calendar.
How early can a California high school start?
Non-rural districts and charter schools may not start the high school day before 8:30 am, or the middle school day before 8:00 am (EC 46148). Minutes before that can’t be claimed, and optional zero periods are left out.
What if we fall short of the minutes?
The state withholds the same share of funding as the share of minutes missed (EC 46207). The State Board can waive it only if the school adds the lost time back, on top of the normal minimum, for twice as many years as it fell short (EC 46206).
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This is a planning aid, not a ruling: the California Department of Education’s decision is final, and your district may count more strictly. Sources: EC 46207 (annual minutes); EC 46208 (180 days); EC 46112, 46113, 46117, 46141 (minimum day); EC 46114 and 46142 (averaging); EC 51210 and 51222 (PE); CDE instructional time webinar, fall 2025 (recess, passing time, charter schools, EC 46148, EC 49056); LAUSD BUL-6144.4 (2025, passing time next to lunch).