Should School Start Later in the Day?

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Should School Start Later in the Day?

Have you ever felt tired during your first class of the day? Do you struggle to pay attention in the morning? If so, you’re not alone. Many students find it hard to focus and learn when school starts early. This has led to a big question: Should school start later in the day? Let’s look at both sides of this important issue.

Why Many People Want Later School Start Times

Better Sleep for Students

When schools start early, many students don’t get enough sleep. Teenagers naturally want to go to sleep later and wake up later. This isn’t just being lazy – it’s based on biology. During puberty, the body’s internal clock shifts, making teens feel sleepy later at night (around 11 PM) and more alert later in the morning.

When schools start at 7:30 or 8:00 AM, students often need to wake up around 6:00 AM or earlier to get ready and travel to school. This means many teens get much less sleep than the 8-10 hours that doctors recommend. A later start time would match better with teenagers’ natural sleep patterns.

Improved Learning and Grades

When students are tired, they don’t learn as well. Research shows that schools with later start times often see better grades and test scores. This makes sense – it’s hard to remember information or solve problems when you’re fighting to stay awake!

One study found that when schools moved their start time just one hour later, student grades in math and reading improved. Students were also more likely to attend all their classes and less likely to be late.

Better Health

Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just make you tired – it can affect your health in many ways. Students who don’t sleep enough might:

Get sick more often because their immune system is weaker
Feel more stressed, anxious, or depressed
Have trouble controlling their emotions
Eat unhealthy foods and gain weight
Be more likely to have accidents

Starting school later would help students get more sleep, which could lead to better physical and mental health.

Safer Driving

Tired teen drivers are dangerous drivers. Car accidents are a leading cause of death for teenagers, and many of these accidents happen when teenagers are driving to school early in the morning while still drowsy. Starting school later could mean fewer tired drivers on the road and fewer accidents.

Reasons Some People Oppose Later School Start Times

Impact on Parents’ Work Schedules

Many parents leave for work early in the morning. If school starts later, some parents might not be able to see their children off to school. This could create childcare problems for younger students.

Transportation Issues

Many school districts use the same buses for elementary, middle, and high schools. They stagger the start times so buses can make multiple trips. If all schools started later, districts might need to buy more buses, which costs a lot of money.

Effects on After-School Activities

Later school start times mean later dismissal times. This could make it harder to schedule after-school activities like sports, clubs, or part-time jobs. Some outdoor sports need daylight for practice, which could be a problem in winter months when it gets dark earlier.

Disruption to Family Routines

Families build their daily schedules around school times. Changing the start time would require many families to adjust their routines, which could be difficult for some.

What Research Shows

Scientists have been studying this issue for years, and most of the evidence supports later school start times:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 AM to allow students to get enough sleep.
When schools in Minneapolis changed their start time from 7:15 AM to 8:40 AM, students got about an hour more sleep each night and reported feeling less depressed and less likely to fall asleep in class.
A study from the University of Minnesota found that in schools with later start times, students had better attendance, less tardiness, fewer visits to the school nurse, and better grades.
Research from the RAND Corporation suggests that delaying school start times could add billions of dollars to the U.S. economy over time because of improved student health, better academic performance, and fewer car accidents.

Real-World Examples

Some schools and districts have already changed to later start times. Here’s what happened:

In Seattle, when high schools changed their start time from 7:50 AM to 8:45 AM, students got an average of 34 minutes more sleep per night, and grades improved by 4.5%.
In Kentucky, one county moved its school start time from 7:30 AM to 8:40 AM and saw car crashes involving teen drivers drop by 16.5%.
Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia changed their high school start times from 7:20 AM to 8:10 AM. Students reported getting more sleep, and parents noticed their teenagers were more alert and in better moods.

Finding Middle Ground

There’s no perfect solution that will work for every school district. Each community needs to weigh the benefits against the challenges. Some possible compromises include:

Starting high schools and middle schools later, but keeping elementary schools on earlier schedules (since younger children naturally wake up earlier)
Gradually shifting start times by 15-30 minutes each year to give families time to adjust
Offering flexible start times, where some students could begin later if it fits their learning style better
Providing before-school supervision for students whose parents need to drop them off early

What Students Can Do

If you think your school should start later, you can:

Learn more about the research on school start times
Talk to your parents about how sleep affects your learning and health
Write a letter to your school board explaining why a later start time would help students
Work with your student council to gather opinions from other students
Suggest starting a pilot program to test a later start time

Conclusion

The question of whether schools should start later doesn’t have a simple answer. The evidence strongly suggests that later start times would benefit teenagers’ health, safety, and learning. However, changing school schedules affects many people—students, parents, teachers, and the whole community.

What’s clear is that sleep matters for learning. Students who are well-rested learn better, feel better, and do better in school. Whether through later start times or other changes, finding ways to help students get enough sleep should be a priority for schools.

The debate about school start times is really about what we value most: tradition, convenience, or student wellbeing. As we continue this important conversation, we should keep in mind what matters most—giving students the best chance to learn, grow, and succeed.

Should School Start Later in the Day?

Should School Start Later in the Day?