LAYTON -- Some Utah school districts along the Wasatch Front are opting out of year-round elementary school.

Once a popular solution for overcrowding, the practice has fallen out of favor in some districts, partly because of objections from parents.

The Davis School District recently switched two of its six schools to traditional fall-to-summer schedules. The new Canyons School District has also gone to a traditional schedule, as has another school in the Jordan district.

Most year-round schools in Utah go for 172 days per year but often with longer days than those on the traditional schedule.

John Sheffield, Davis elementary schools director, said he'd eventually like to see all schools going year-round. He said year-round students in Davis retain more knowledge and perform well on tests.

Families often find it easier to match the year-round classes with child care and work schedules, he said.

"The families who struggle to juggle everything are those with high schoolers on one schedule and younger kids on another," Sheffield said.

Adopting one calendar for all grades could alleviate those problems, he said.

Not all parents are in favor, though.

Decisions to keep a traditional schedule in some Davis schools, and the new Canyons district, were driven by parental objections.

And some of the state's fastest-growing districts, including Alpine, Nebo and Washington County, have also opted to stay with a traditional schedule.

There are ups and downs for each schedule, said Mary Ann Erdmann, principal at Terra Linda Elementary in West Jordan.

Year-round classes complicate the scheduling for assemblies and parent-teacher conferences, she said. It can also make it more difficult for teachers to collaborate.

On the other hand, the 172-day schedule -- which includes longer days but more frequent short breaks -- helps cut down on teacher burnout, she said.

"But change isn't easy," Erdmann said. "We'll be watching teachers and kids to keep their morale and energy going."