Florida instructional hours calculator
Enter your bell schedules and calendar to see net instructional hours against 720 (K to 3) or 900 (grades 4 to 12), or the 180-day count.
Florida, grades 4 to 12: 900 hours or 180 days a year.
Your school year
Meets the Florida minimum
916 hours of 900 hours
A planning aid, not a ruling: the Florida 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 Florida counts instructional hours
Schools must run 180 actual teaching days or the hourly equivalent: 720 net instructional hours for kindergarten to grade 3 and 900 for grades 4 to 12 (s. 1011.60(2), Rule 6A-1.045111). Meeting either one is enough.
| Grades | Each year | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten to grade 3 | 720 hours | 180 |
| Grades 4 to 12 | 900 hours | 180 |
Lunch, recess and passing time are not instructional time: FDOE tells districts not to report time for lunch and changing classes as membership minutes. Districts must also give K to 5 students 100 minutes of free-play recess a week, at least 20 minutes in a row each day (charter schools excepted).
Questions about instructional time in Florida
How many instructional hours does Florida require?
720 net hours for kindergarten to grade 3 and 900 for grades 4 to 12, as the hourly equivalent of 180 actual teaching days. A school meets the term with either the days or the hours.
Does recess count as instructional time in Florida?
No. Lunch and recess are left out. Recess is still required: 100 minutes a week of supervised free play for K to 5, at least 20 consecutive minutes a day, except in charter schools.
Does passing time count in Florida?
No. FDOE’s FTE General Instructions (2025-26) say time for lunch and changing class periods should not be reported as membership minutes, so the calculator leaves passing time out.
How much PE does Florida require?
150 minutes a week for K to 5 (and grade 6 in schools with elementary grades), at least 30 minutes in a row on PE days, and one class period a day for a semester in grades 6 to 8 (s. 1003.455).
What if a school runs fewer hours?
Students in a school that runs less than the minimum term are funded in proportion: the hours given divided by the hours required (s. 1011.61(1)(b)).
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This is a planning aid, not a ruling: the Florida Department of Education’s decision is final, and your district may count more strictly. Sources: s. 1011.60(2), F.S.; s. 1011.61, F.S.; Rule 6A-1.045111, F.A.C.; s. 1003.455, F.S. (recess); FDOE FTE General Instructions 2025-26, section 2.2 (lunch and changing classes); House staff analysis of HB 833 (2016).