Financial Problems Force Districts to Cut Summer School

Others hope revamped offerings engage students.

With summer in full swing, children are off to camp, the beach, the pool, and in some cases, back to the classroom for the dreaded summer school. If it’s available, that is.

Amid difficult budgetary times, many school districts have scaled back, or even largely eliminated, their summer school offerings. Though no national data are available on the scope of the situation, examples span the country, from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Colorado Springs, Colo., and Clayton County, Ga.

At the same time, however, some districts have actually ramped up—and even...