Parents prefer K-12 students return to school after Labor Day, an MLive poll of subscribers shows.

In a poll conducted last week through MLive’s “Dear Parents” subscriber-exclusive newsletter, 72.3% of respondents said they prefer kids return to school after Labor Day. Only 27.3% favored a pre-Labor Day start.

This year, Labor Day is Monday, Sept. 1.

A 2005 Michigan state law requires schools to start after Labor Day, but 185 waivers in the state cover more than 500 school districts and public academies , allowing them to start the school year earlier. There are about 540 school districts and about 280 public school academies in Michigan, as of the 2024-2025 school year.

Starting after Labor Day supports the state’s summer tourism industry, which relies heavily on teenage stude

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