Hurricane Sandy School Closings: Thousands Shuttered For Storm Along East Coast

Thousands of schools along the Eastern Seaboard are closed Monday as Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall, attacking the coast with forceful winds, rain and possible snow.

The closures are affecting some of the country's most populous school districts. New York City Schools -- the nation's largest system -- has canceled classes Monday as schools are repurposed as relief shelters, opening their doors to those in need. All of the city's charter schools are also closed.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Sunday that more than 300 school districts across the state are closed Monday in anticipation of the storm. Washington, D.C. and area schools are also closed for the day, as are schools in Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia, among others.

While sparse weather-related school closings have a substantially smaller impact on student learning than learning loss generally experienced during summer breaks, students will still have to make up for lost time, cutting into scheduled vacations.

Missing just a few days from the regular school year means falling behind on preparations for state standardized exams -- tests that often factor into a student's eligibility to be promoted, a teacher's evaluation, a school's overall score and funding it can receive from the state.

Just a series of delayed openings and early dismissals from a snow storm last January led to midterm exam cancellations in Monroe, Conn. The tests became optional for those who wanted the scores to be factored into their final grades.

Weather make-up days or modifying school days to account for lost hours also tend to affect family schedules and arrangements as well as school sports and after-school activities.

For more information on school closings in major cities, visit the district websites below.

• Baltimore City Public Schools
• Boston Public Schools
• Hartford Public Schools
• Newark Public Schools
• New York City Schools
• The School District of Philadelphia
• Providence Public Schools
• D.C. Public Schools