It’s the start of July, which means it’s time to talk about, yes, the start of the new school year.

For some metro Atlanta students, the first day of school is in just four weeks.

Georgia starts back sooner for several reasons. The earlier school starting times enable all end-of-the-semester testing to finish up before children depart for the Christmas break.

School calendars fall under local control. Many Georgia districts follow a balanced calendar, which features a nine-week summer and weeklong breaks in the fall and February, along with a week at Thanksgiving, two at Christmas and the traditional April spring break.

Below are the start dates for metro Atlanta’s districts.

Tuesday, July 30: Decatur, Rockdale

Thursday, Aug. 1: Atlanta Public Schools, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Douglas, Henry, Forsyth and Marietta.

Friday, Aug. 2: Buford

Monday, Aug. 5: DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett

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