Starting with the 2026-27 school year, Lubbock-Cooper High School and Liberty High School will transition from a block schedule to a traditional, eight-period day schedule. This means there will no longer be “red and black” or “red and blue” days; instead, high school students will attend all of their classes each day, Monday through Friday.
While we hope the early announcement and planning of this transition will ensure minimal disruption, we know families may have some questions. We’ve provided responses to frequently asked questions below.
WHY IS THE DISTRICT MAKING THIS CHANGE?
Shifting to an eight-period day schedule is not only a more efficient use of the district’s resources, it also supports consistent instruction for students and allows for stronger educator-student relationships, more timely feedback, and more timely academic support.
Additionally, the eight-period day schedule aligns with the majority of Texas high schools, and will largely prevent increased class sizes at the high school level by distributing students into classes more evenly throughout the day.
WILL COURSE OFFERINGS CHANGE?
No. The same courses currently offered will remain available, as long as there is sufficient course enrollment (this is standard practice when developing courses each year, regardless of the type of schedule utilized by the campus). The eight-period day will also provide many students with increased access to additional electives or advanced coursework as a result of a more flexible master schedule.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF A STUDENT MISSES A DAY OF SCHOOL?
The district’s policy regarding absences and makeup work will not change - the number of days a student has to make up missed assignments will be equal to the number of days the student was absent. It’s also important to note that a single day missed will now equate to less missed instructional time per class.
WILL STUDENTS HAVE MORE HOMEWORK?
In short, this change should not impact the amount of homework a student has.
Students will still have access to the morning tutorial period each day, and academic support during the school day. The district’s Curriculum and Instruction team will work closely with educators to ensure coursework and assessments are balanced and aligned with the updated schedule.
According to the district’s grading policy (which will not change as a result of the schedule transition), homework can only be entered for a grade once per nine-week period. Thus, homework is not typically work assigned to be completed at home, but remaining work that was not completed during class time. While daily class periods will be shorter, classes will meet more frequently. Teachers are conscious of this and will not attempt to condense this year’s approximate 90 minutes of instruction into next year’s approximate 45-minute period.
WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS WITH OFF-SITE COURSEWORK OR PRACTICES?
Accommodations will be made for students who participate in off-site coursework, practices, or other specialized programs. In some cases, courses may be multi-blocked to support scheduling needs and academic and program requirements.
HOW WILL THIS IMPACT ATHLETICS, FINE ARTS, ETC.?
The district anticipates minimal disruption for extracurricular activities, including athletics and fine arts. Research of comparable schools across the state who have completed similar schedule transitions shows that these programs can successfully continue; and, in many cases, excel, in an eight-period day model.
Some activities will require additional commitment outside of the school day, such as slightly longer practices, or combined before- and after-school practices, but campuses will work with students and families to manage these adjustments.
WILL LCISD MIDDLE SCHOOLS BE MOVING FROM A SEVEN-PERIOD DAY TO AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY TO MATCH THE HIGH SCHOOLS?
There are no plans at this time to adjust middle school schedules.
WHAT DO ALTERED SCHEDULES LOOK LIKE ON SPECIAL DAYS (LATE STARTS, EARLY RELEASES, PEP RALLIES, ETC.)
On days with special or unique start or release times (late starts, early releases, pep rallies, etc.), campuses will follow a condensed version of the eight-period day. This condensed schedule will be released closer to the start of the new school year, as always.
If you have any additional questions not addressed above, please email info@lcisd.net.