Skip to content

Raw data: School openings over the past year

Published on 7 Comments on Raw data: School openings over the past year

Here's a rough estimate of the share of schools open for in-person instruction over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic:

The early data is from surveys by the Department of Education. The recent data is from Burbio, which tracks school reopenings. It's all a bit approximate due to the way the data is presented, but it's roughly correct. Basically, virtually all schools had reopened by the start of the school year. Then there was a dip caused by Omicron, and now we're on the upswing again.

7 thoughts on “Raw data: School openings over the past year”

  1. Special Newb

    Nobody wants to hear it but the best way is to shut down schools during peaks snd reopen after the peak. Along which the school year should be year round (I favor the Japanese school yeat myself).

    1. rational thought

      Any costly restrictions , when a virus is contagious enough that no chance you can hold infections below level needed to get enough natural immunity to let cases go down, should be limited to periods when they actually accomplish something.

      And that can be two things. One is " flattening the curve " in order to reduce health care strain at peak , but not reduce total infections.

      Second is trying to reduce total infections in the wave. But, since you inevitably need x infections to reach herd immunity anyway, the only infections you can possibly prevent are those on the " back end " of the wave , AFTER you reached the herd immunity level and cases going down . Basically trying to reduce " excess infections " that you do not need in order to reach herd immunity.

      And the thing is most useful timing for any restrictions differs with those goals.

      To flatten the curve ( i.e. just move infections that would be at peak to later) , you want max restrictions in weeks prior to peak and then can remove them soon after peak. To reduce total infections , best time for restrictions is just a little before peak and then hard restrictions after the peak for a few weeks to a month , even when everyone sees the wave is ending and cases are getting low. Restrictions a week before peak can even hurt and increase total cases.

      Basically , it is OK to let infections spread without restrictions until hitting herd immunity and " no restriction" R is under 1.0. And then slam on restrictions so actual R is way below 1.0 and the wave tail falls real quick.

      Instinct seems to be we can loosen up when things start to get better but not correct timing

    2. golack

      Too many essential workers need schools to be open to go to work.

      So keep them partially open, but kids still doing zoom classes while at the school?
      ....
      Wasn't one of the infrastructure plans going to upgrade school busses?

  2. golack

    Sisters are teachers in various parts of the country--some now without mask mandates...

    There are a lot of teachers out--but that's ok, there are a lot of students out too...
    They're also having more work from home days--some tangentially related to the weather.
    But the schools, technically, are still open and "in-person".

  3. Jimm

    Even better if they kept some kind of hybrid arrangement in place so no symptomatic kids are in class, period (and teachers would still be able to teach as well as long as not actually too sick to do so - e.g. just in isolation but otherwise good enough to work).

Comments are closed.