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Volume 30, Number 1—January 2024
Research

COVID-19–Related School Closures, United States, July 27, 2020–June 30, 2022

Nicole ZviedriteComments to Author , Ferdous Jahan, Sarah Moreland1, Faruque Ahmed, and Amra Uzicanin
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (N. Zviedrite, F. Jahan, S. Moreland, F. Ahmed, A. Uzicanin); Cherokee Nation Operational Solutions, LLC, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA (F. Jahan); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA (S. Moreland)

Main Article

Table 3

Weekly correlation between COVID-19–related school closures and COVID-19–related cases, deaths, and PCR positivity, by school year, United States, July 27, 2020–June 30, 2022*

School closure type
 Weeks 52–53
Weeks considered as winter school break†
Weeks 52–53 or weeks 51–52
Weeks 53–1 or weeks 52–1
r (95% CI)
 p value
 r (95% CI)
 p value
 r (95% CI)
 p value
Transmission-related school closures‡
COVID-19 cases§
2020–21 0.721 (0.544–0.832) <0.001 0.728 (0.552–0.837) <0.001 0.707 (0.521–0.824) <0.001
2021–22 0.609 (0.384–0.760) <0.001 0.591 (0.358–0.750) <0.001 0.583 (0.346–0.744) <0.001
COVID-19 deaths§
2020–21 0.507 (0.255–0.688) <0.001 0.510 (0.256–0.692) <0.001 0.482 (0.221–0.673) <0.001
2021–22 0.580 (0.346–0.741) <0.001 0.592 (0.359–0.750) <0.001 0.571 (0.331–0.736) <0.001
PCR positivity¶
2020–21 0.734 (0.563–0.840) <0.001 0.748 (0.581–0.850) <0.001 0.720 (0.540–0.832) <0.001
2021–22
 0.280 (−0.011–0.523)
 0.056
0.245 (−0.052–0.497)
 0.102
0.232 (−0.065–0.487)
 0.122
Total school closures#
COVID-19 cases§
2020–21 0.772 (0.620–0.864) <0.001 0.790 (0.645–0.876) <0.001 0.761 (0.601–0.858) <0.001
2021–22 0.511 (0.257–0.693) <0.001 0.486 (0.223–0.678) <0.001 0.478 (0.213–0.672) 0.001
COVID-19 deaths§
2020–21 0.577 (0.345–0.737) <0.001 0.589 (0.358–0.747) <0.001 0.557 (0.316–0.725) <0.001
2021–22 0.596 (0.367–0.751) <0.001 0.610 (0.382–0.762) <0.001 0.587 (0.353–0.747) <0.001
PCR positivity¶
2020–21 0.695 (0.506–0.815) <0.001 0.721 (0.542–0.833) <0.001 0.679 (0.480–0.806) <0.001
2021–22 0.190 (−0.105–0.451) 0.202 0.149 (−0.149–0.420) 0.325 0.136 (−0.162–0.409) 0.369

*School closure is defined as a transition from being open to being closed for in-person instruction excluding any scheduled days off; fully in-person and hybrid learning modalities are classified as open, and fully remote and closed are classified as closed. School year: 2020–21 (July 27, 2020–June 30, 2021), 2021–22 (August 1, 2021–June 30, 2022). Spearman rank correlation (r) was used to evaluate the relationship between COVID-19–associated cases, deaths, and PCR positivity (epidemiologic weeks 31–26). †School winter break was excluded from the analysis. The break is understood to be ≈2 weeks in length; however, the start and end dates vary by school and district. Winter breaks consistently overlap on the last week of the year, which was epidemiologic week 53 in 2020 and epidemiologic week 52 in 2021. In 2020, we calculated correlations excluding winter break at epidemiologic week 53, weeks 52–53, and weeks 53–1. In 2021, correlations were calculated excluding winter break at epidemiologic week 52, weeks 51–52, and weeks 52–1. ‡Transmission-related reasons were COVID-19 cases, suspected cases, increased student absenteeism, increased staff absenteeism, cluster or widespread transmission in the community, state or local guidance or mandate to close schools in response to COVID-19, to clean or disinfect school facilities, and other. §Data on COVID-19 cases and COVID-19–associated deaths available from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (8). ¶PCR positivity was calculated from the number of new positive results divided by the total number of new results reported. Data on PCR testing were available from US Department of Health and Human Services (10). #Total school closures were both transmission and non–transmission-related school closures. Transmission-related reasons were COVID-19 cases, suspected cases, increased student absenteeism, increased staff absenteeism, cluster or widespread transmission in the community, state or local guidance or mandate to close schools in response to COVID-19, to clean or disinfect school facilities, and other. Non–transmission-related reasons were COVID-19 vaccinations and side effects of vaccination of staff or students, teacher or staff shortage, for student or staff mental health, and other reasons associated with COVID-19.

Main Article

1Current affiliation: Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Page created: November 08, 2023
Page updated: December 20, 2023
Page reviewed: December 20, 2023
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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