should school start an hour later essay

Exploring the Evidence: 7 Comprehensive Reasons Why School Should Start Later for Enhanced Student Well-being and Academic Success

Traditionally, schools have adhered to an early morning schedule, a routine that is increasingly viewed as misaligned with adolescent physiological rhythms and conducive to chronic sleep deprivation. This discrepancy between school schedules and the natural sleep patterns of teenagers has sparked a significant reevaluation of how educational institutions can best support the developmental and learning needs of their students.

Reasons why School should Start Later in the Morning: – Better for students sleep and attendance – Don’t need to stay up as late to do homework because you can do it in the morning — Pisha 🍉 ⪩⚢⪨ Et Le Ena Piou (@mafuanenautism)  September 30, 2022

This article embarks on a comprehensive examination of the subject, exploring the multifaceted benefits of starting school later, the considerations and challenges that come with such a change, and the real-world implications as evidenced by initiatives like those undertaken by the Seattle School District. Through this analysis, we aim to provide a balanced perspective on why the shift towards later school start times could represent a significant step forward in fostering environments that truly cater to the needs and potentials of our young learners.

7 Reasons Why School Should Start Later

1. improves academic performance.

The correlation between adequate sleep and enhanced academic performance is well-documented. Studies by organizations such as the National Sleep Foundation underscore the critical role sleep plays in cognitive functions, including memory retention, focus, and decision-making processes. Adolescents, who are in a crucial phase of brain development, particularly benefit from extended sleep, as it directly influences their ability to learn and excel academically.

Discover in this video how mastering healthy sleep habits can serve as a genuine performance enhancer in the classroom, leading to better sleep and higher GPAs for students.

2. Allows Teens to Get More Sleep

The mismatch between teenagers’ biological clocks and early school schedules is a significant barrier to their health and well-being. Recognizing the critical importance of sleep for this age group underlines the need for adjustments in school start times to support their developmental needs.

3. Reduces Absenteeism

This not only benefits students’ academic performance and continuity of learning but also contributes to a more vibrant, participatory school environment. Improved health outcomes due to adequate sleep thus serve as a preventive measure against common ailments, ensuring that students remain present and engaged in their educational journey.

4. Lowers Risk of Depression and Mental Health Issues

5. reduces drowsy driving in teens, 6. helps teens feel happier, 7. reduced stress.

Discover why starting school later could help teens get the more sleep they need and improve their lives in various ways in this video, addressing common concerns about sleep needs for younger people.

The Potential Drawbacks of Starting School Later

1. scheduling sports and extracurriculars becomes more difficult, 2. increases childcare costs and logistical challenges for working parents, 3. may make after-school jobs and activities more difficult.

Adjusting school hours to start later in the day could inadvertently impact students’ ability to engage in after-school jobs and activities, critical for their personal development and financial support. This shift may limit the time available for such commitments, posing challenges for students who depend on the afternoon and early evening hours for work and extracurricular participation.

4. Reduces Time for Homework and Family Activities

The impact of delayed school start times in seattle school district, useful resources, final thoughts, leave a comment cancel reply.

Later school times promote adolescent well-being

Moving high school start times can improve student performance and general quality of life

• Schools and Classrooms

Delaying start times

Though comprehensive national statistics on school start times are not available, it is common for American public high schools to begin their instructional day between 7–8 a.m. Research has shown that these early bell times are responsible for the discrepancy between how much sleep teens need and how much sleep they get. 9 When school systems have moved to later start times, they have found that their students get more sleep. 4,19 – 20 Numerous studies have been done with schools that have shifted to later start times; while individual differences in communities and research methodology have led to different outcomes, results are almost always positive. Benefits observed from later high school start times include: 4, 6,9 – 14, 16, 19 – 21

• Increased attendance rates 
• Decrease in disciplinary action 
• Decrease in student-involved car accidents 
• Increase in student GPA 
• Increase in state assessment scores 
• Increase in college admissions test scores 
• Increase in student attention 
• Decrease in student sleeping during instruction 
• Increase in quality of student-family interaction

These benefits are from studies of delayed start times in schools and districts across the country in Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Rhode Island, Virginia, & Wyoming. They have been done with schools in a broad range of developed environments–urban, suburban, and rural.

Sleeping in adolescence

The optimal amount of sleep for adolescents is approximately 9 ¼ hours nightly. 2 Surveys show that, while younger children generally get enough sleep, by early adolescence, most do not; this trend continues to worsen throughout the teenage years (See Figure 1 ). More than half of teens aged 15-17 sleep for 7 or fewer hours per school night.

Teens are notorious night owls – generally, they go to bed late in the evening and, when given the opportunity, wake up late in the morning. This tendency has biological and physiological roots. The sleep-wake cycle is governed by both the homeostatic drive for sleep (Process S) and the circadian rhythm (Process C). 5,8

• Process S builds during wakefulness and makes you feel tired. This process weakens during adolescence. 1,3
• Process C helps the body determine when the right time for sleep is. It naturally shifts later during adolescence. This is called Delayed Phase Preference. 18

Process S and Process C heavily influence mood and learning abilities. 17 While they are interconnected, fixing an issue with one does not mean that an issue with the other will be resolved. That is, simply going to bed earlier does not necessarily make someone less tired in the early morning hours. 9

Benefits of sleep

Scientists are still discovering new benefits of sleep. Research has suggested that sleep is vital to almost all areas of human functioning. Some benefits of sleep are listed below. 6,7,9,16,21

Sleep leads to increases in/benefits to:

• Memory & learning 
• Emotional regulation 
• Mental health & well-being 
• Weight control/Body Mass Index (BMI)

Loss of sleep leads to decreases in/problems with:

• Information retention & cognition 
• Student behavior and classroom conflict 
• Attendance issues 
• Mood regulation

Concerns about delayed start times have generally focused less on academic/social/cognitive outcomes and more on logistical complications. Some considerations include: 9

• Increased cost, congestion, & delays associated with having busses on the road later in the morning 
• Inability of parents to rely on older children for afternoon childcare, as the lower schools would have effectively switched schedules with the upper schools. 
• Scheduling conflicts for intervarsity/interscholastic events with neighboring jurisdictions that have earlier dismissal.

These issues are surmountable, and, with adequate planning, can be minimized or completely eliminated.

While implementation may be complex, particularly when a change would bring a school’s schedule out of sync with neighboring systems, delaying school start times so that adolescents begin their instructional day later provides numerous benefits to the students and their broader community alike.

1. Carskadon, M. A. (2011). Sleep in adolescents: The perfect storm. Pediatrics Clinics of North America, 58 , 637-647.

2. Carskadon, M. A. (2013). Optimal sleep habits in adolescents. In H. P. A. Van Dongen & G. A. Kerkhof (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Sleep, 190 , 86-87.

3. Carskadon, M. A., Acebo, C., & Jenni, O. G. (2004). Regulation of adolescent sleep: Implications for behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021 , 276-291.

4. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. (1998). School start time study. Technical report: Vol. II. Analysis of student survey data.

5. Crowley, S. J., Acebo, C., & Carskadon, M. A. (2007). Sleep, circadian rhythms, and delayed phase in adolescence. Sleep Medicine, 8 , 602–612

6. Davison, C. M., Newton, L., Brown, R. S., Freeman, J., Ufholz, L. A., & Smith, J. D. (2012). Systematic Review Protocol: Later School Start Times for Supporting the Education, Health and Well-being of High School Students. The Campbell Collaboration .

7. El-Sheikh, M., Bagley, E. J., Keiley, M. K., & Erath, S. A. (2014). Growth in Body Mass Index From Childhood Into Adolescence: The Role of Sleep Duration and Quality. The Journal of Early Adolescence.

8. Hagenauer, M. H., Perryman, J. I., Lee, T. M., & Carskadon, M. A. (2009). Adolescent changes in the homeostatic and circadian regulation of sleep. Developmental Neuroscience, 31 , 276-284.

9. Kirby, M., Maggi, S., & D’Angiulli, A. (2011). School start times and the sleep-wake cycle of adolescents: A review and critical evaluation of available evidence. Educational Researcher. 40 (2), 56-61

10. National Sleep Foundation. (2005a). Changing school start times: Arlington, Virginia

11. National Sleep Foundation. (2005b). Changing school start times: Denver, Colorado

12. National Sleep Foundation. (2005c). Changing school start times: Fayette County, Kentucky

13. National Sleep Foundation. (2005d). Changing school start times: Jessamine County, Kentucky

14. National Sleep Foundation. (2005e). Changing school start times: Wilton, Connecticut

15. National Sleep Foundation. (2014). 2014 Sleep In America ® poll - Sleep in the modern family: Summary of findings.

16. Owens JA, Belon K, Moss P. (2010). Impact of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep, mood, and behavior. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 164 (7), 608–14

17. Schmidt, C., Collette, F., Cajochen, C., & Peigneux, P. (2007). A time to think: Circadian rhythms in human cognition. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24 , 755–789.

18. Tarokh, L., & Carskadon, M. A. (2009). Sleep in adolescents. In Squire, L.R. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 8 , Oxford Academic Press, 1015-1022

19. Vedaa, Ø., Saxvig, I. W., & Wilhelmsen-Langeland, A. (2012). School start time, sleepiness and functioning in Norwegian adolescents. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 56 , 55-67

20. Wahlstrom, K. (2002). Changing times: Findings from the first longitudinal study of later high school start times. NASSP Bulletin, 86 (633) , 3–21.

21. Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement.

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Why both teens and teachers could benefit from later school start times

Lecturer in Science Education, Sussex School of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex

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James Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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A typical school day in the UK starts around 8.30am. This is often even earlier elsewhere in the world, with students sitting down to their first lesson at 7.30am in the US.

But these early start times can play havoc with teenager’s natural sleeping patterns – with research showing that waking a teenager at seven in the morning for school is similar to waking an adult at four in the morning . And while many adults wouldn’t relish such an early alarm call every working day, it’s a “non-negotiable” expectation for teenagers.

The average teenager ideally needs eight to nine hours’ sleep each night, but in reality a lot of teenagers struggle to get this much – which can then impact their performance in the classroom.

A lot of the problems arise because our sleep patterns are not fixed, and they change as we grow . For teenagers, melatonin – the sleep hormone – doesn’t start being produced until 11pm. This is why teens don’t start feeling sleepy until late at night, and why simply telling a teenager to go to bed earlier doesn’t work.

This has led to calls for later school start times for teenagers to align more closely with their bodies’ biology.

What the research shows

A major study published in 2014 examined the impact of later start times on 9,000 US teenagers. Researchers found that:

Grades earned in core subject areas of math, English, science and social studies, plus performance on state and national achievement tests, attendance rates and reduced tardiness show significantly positive improvement with the later start times.

They also found that with less sleep than recommended, the students reported that they had:

Significantly higher depression symptoms, greater use of caffeine, and are at greater risk of making poor choices for substance use.

In the US – where teenagers can legally drive from the age of 16 – the research also found later start times led to a decrease in car accidents involving teenage drivers.

Why teenagers sleep differently

To understand why a later school start time can make such a difference to teenagers’ lives, we need to take a look at the biology that governs their sleep wake cycle.

We all have a sort of hardwired “clock” in the brain – this is often referred to as our body clock. This “clock” controls the production of the hormone melatonin, and in turn, melatonin controls sleep. Melatonin is naturally produced in the brain and starts the process of sleepiness by telling your body that it’s time for bed.

Once asleep, we normally go through five sleep stages a night. And one of the stages – the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage – varies significantly with age.

REM sleep is linked to learning, and it’s during REM sleep that we dream. It is characterised by quick, random movements of the eyes and paralysis of the muscles. REM sleep normally makes up around 20-25% of an adult human’s total time spent asleep – or 90 to 120 minutes. We get to REM sleep about 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep. And if we don’t achieve REM sleep, we wake up feeling tired.

Studies have also shown that lack of REM sleep can impact our ability to learn . And this is what happens to teenagers who do not get their full allocation of sleep. They fail to get to REM sleep and then wake up feeling tired, which can then impact their ability in the classroom that day.

The benefits for late starters

So a later school start time could help to solve this problem, by ensuring teenagers get their eight plus hours of sleep and react properly to their body’s natural rhythms.

The American Academy of Pediatrics , said in a policy statement in 2014 that:

Delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety, and academic achievement.

I believe we should also look again at the timing of the whole school day and see if we can make it better for everyone. Because in my experience, there has been a general shift over the past 25 years to shorten the school day.

This is not at the cost of teaching time (which has remained constant) but at the cost of natural breaks, which has led to reduced lunch times and lesson breaks.

This is mainly because it makes the management of children easier. Supervising hundreds of children “playing” requires effective staffing. And there is always the fear that behaviour deteriorates during breaks. So the theory goes that having them in class and strictly supervised must be better.

But this means that students barely have enough time to absorb what they were doing in maths before suddenly they are thrust into ancient history. And teaching staff also transition from one class to another, with hardly a rest or time to refocus.

Clearly rethinking the school day could benefit everyone involved. Yes, there may be challenges in terms of parental work patterns, transport to school or changing childcare arrangements, but it could also lead to better achievement in teenagers and less of a struggle for parents in the mornings. For teachers, it could also mean a less stressful day all around – and what could be better than that?

• School start times
• Teens and sleep

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What new research tells us about elementary and middle school start times

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, kevin c. bastian and kevin c. bastian research associate professor - unc chapel hill, director - epic sarah crittenden fuller sarah crittenden fuller research associate professor - unc-chapel hill and epic.

March 23, 2023

Every morning, K-12 students across the country wake up and prepare for another day of school. While students’ morning routines may look similar everywhere—eating breakfast, getting dressed, scrambling to finish homework assignments—the time school starts varies considerably across schools. This seemingly simple start time decision can have meaningful effects on students’ sleep, health, engagement with school, and learning .

Over the last two decades, sleep research has convincingly shown that around the onset of puberty many adolescents experience biological changes that impact the timing of their sleep. Adolescents still need approximately nine hours of sleep each night, but it becomes difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00pm and wake before 8:00am. Early school start times make it challenging for adolescents to get the sleep they need, and fatigued students may be less engaged with and successful in school.

In response to this evidence, many school districts across the country have delayed start times for their high schools. This decision is supported by sleep research and multiple studies showing that later high school start times are associated with improved attendance , course grades , behavior , and achievement .

While later start times benefit high school students, we also need to consider the indirect effects on younger students. Districts often stagger start times for elementary, middle, and high schools to allow for multiple busing runs, lessen traffic congestion, and allow caregivers to drop off children at different schools. If high schools are starting later, it likely means that elementary and/or middle schools must start earlier.

Is this a good tradeoff? Do these earlier elementary and middle school start times come at a cost to the sleep and academic outcomes of younger students? And are there better and worse ways to organize school schedules? Over the last five years, we have sought to answer these questions through a series of studies on school start times in North Carolina.

Why Do School Start Times Matter for Student Academic Outcomes?

In prior work , we put forth a theoretical model for how start times influence academic outcomes. Later school start times allow for additional sleep , which should benefit students’ alertness , attention, and memory . An increase in sleep and cognitive functioning should improve more proximate academic outcomes such as attendance, behavior, and course grades. More distally, we would expect benefits for student achievement.

Yet, studying the effects of varying school start times can be challenging. Comparing academic outcomes across schools with different start times may conflate start time effects with other characteristics of schools and districts. A more rigorous approach is to assess how changes in school start times predict changes in academic outcomes. However, schools rarely change start times, and even when schools do change start times, there are questions regarding the generalizability of those effects to other schools.

To date, there have been only a few studies on start times and academic outcomes for elementary and middle school students. At the elementary school level, prior studies do not convincingly isolate start time effects or analyze actual changes in start times. At the middle school level, a study from one district shows that shifts to later start times predict higher test scores, especially for low-performing students.

New research from North Carolina

We add to this existing research with a series of start time studies in North Carolina. This includes analyses of an urban district that shifted many elementary school start times from 9:00am to 7:45am or 8:30am, as well as statewide analyses of start times in elementary and middle schools . Our work uses eight years of administrative data and considers a broad set of outcomes—sleep, attendance, suspensions, course grades, and test scores—for all students and certain subgroups. Notably, we focus on schools that make changes to their start times rather than relying on variation in start times between schools. In combination, our studies provide the richest evidence yet regarding the connections between start times and academic outcomes for younger students.

Finding 1: Earlier start times have small, mixed effects on elementary school students

In partnership with an urban district in North Carolina, we surveyed 5th graders, districtwide, about their sleep and perceptions of their start time. Compared to peers attending elementary schools starting at 9:00am, those attending elementary schools starting at 7:45am reported getting 45 minutes less sleep per night. In addition, those starting at 7:45am were approximately half as likely—40% to 74%—to agree that their school started at the right time. These findings are consistent with prior work showing a strong relationship between school start times and sleep.

While later start times predict more sleep for elementary school students, results for academic outcomes are modest and mixed. We find that student absences increased slightly after elementary schools switched to an earlier start time (with some evidence of larger increases for white students and those living in rural areas). Conversely, we find that earlier elementary school start times predict modestly higher math scores, especially for economically disadvantaged students and students of color. In our analysis, start times do not appear to affect elementary school reading scores or suspension rates.

Finding 2: Earlier start times negatively affect middle school students

Earlier start times have more consistent and substantially negative effects for middle schoolers. We find that student absences increase after middle schools switch to an earlier start time. These results are particularly large for economically disadvantaged students and suggest that it may be difficult for some students and families to adjust to an earlier commute. Middle school students—especially middle school boys—are also less likely to be suspended after their school switches to a later start time. For instance, after a one-hour delay in start time, middle school boys are 2.5 percentage points less likely to ever be suspended during the year. Start times do not predict course grades for middle school students.

We find robust evidence linking later start times to increased test scores for middle school students. A one-hour delay in middle school start times predicts math scores 8% of a standard deviation higher and reading scores 4% of a standard deviation higher. To put these results into perspective, these estimates are larger in magnitude than the average effectiveness differences between first- and second-year teachers.

Implications for Start Time Decisions

Our findings highlight several important takeaways for state and local education officials. Like prior work in high school , our findings show that later start times benefit the academic outcomes of middle school students. Meanwhile, we find that earlier start times for elementary school students have modest and mixed effects—i.e. a small increase in absences but also a small increase in math test scores. These findings are consistent with the biology behind adolescent sleep. That is, changes in sleep patterns occur around the onset of puberty, which is generally when adolescents are in middle school or near the end of elementary school.

Taken together, our results indicate that districts should prioritize later start times for high schools and middle schools. Evidence indicates that elementary schools can start earlier to accommodate these shifts without negatively affecting student outcomes.

More broadly, we believe our results emphasize the connections between adolescent health and educational outcomes. Initiatives to improve student health—e.g., later start times, free school meals , and school-based health clinics —can be effective approaches to improve student engagement and achievement. This is particularly important in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as districts and schools work to promote student social-emotional and learning recovery.

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Why school should start later for teens

• social change
• personal growth

Why School Should Start Later in the Morning

The CDC weighs in: Early class times are taking a toll on adolescents ’ health and academic performance.

For the first time, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging education policymakers to start middle- and high-school classes later in the morning. The idea is to improve the odds of adolescents getting sufficient sleep so they can thrive both physically and academically.

The CDC’s recommendations come a year after the American Academy of Pediatrics urged schools to adjust start times so more kids would get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of nightly rest. Both the CDC and the pediatricians’ group cited significant risks that come with lack of sleep, including higher rates of obesity and depression and motor-vehicle accidents among teens as well as an overall lower quality of life.

“Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety, and academic performance,” Anne Wheaton, the lead author and epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Population Health, said in a statement . “Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”

In more than 40 states, at least 75 percent of public schools start earlier than 8:30 a.m., according to the CDC’s report. And while later start times won’t replace other important interventions—like parents making sure their children get enough rest—schools clearly play an important role in students’ daily schedules, the report concluded.

While the federal recommendation is making headlines, the data on the potential risks of chronically tired adolescents isn’t new information. Indeed, the research has been accumulating steadily for years, including some recent large-scale studies.

As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported in April, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement “finally put to rest the long-standing question of whether later start times correlate to increased academic performance for high-school students”:

Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,000 students at eight high schools in Minnesota, Colorado, and Wyoming and found that shifting the school day later in the morning resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores, and grades in math, English, science, and social studies. Schools also saw a decrease in tardiness, substance abuse, and symptoms of depression. Some even had a dramatic drop in teen car crashes.

Here’s what the research shows: Adolescents’ “internal clocks”—the circadian rhythms that control a human’s responses to stimuli and determine sleep patterns—operate differently than those of other age groups. It’s typically more difficult for adolescents to fall asleep earlier in the evening than it is for other age demographics. And while teenagers are going to bed later, their school start times are often becoming earlier as they advance through middle and high school.

In a landmark study  in 1998 of adolescent sleeping habits, the Brown University researcher Mary Carskadon followed 10th-graders who were making the switch to a 7:20 a.m. start time, about an hour earlier than their schedule as ninth-graders. Despite the new schedule, the students went to bed at about the same time as they did the year before: 10:40 p.m. on average.

Carskadon’s team found that students showed up for morning classes seriously sleep-deprived and that the 7:20 a.m. start time required them to be awake during hours that ran contrary to their internal clocks. Fewer than half of the 10th-graders averaged even seven hours of sleep each night, which is already below the recommended amount. Indeed, Carskadon’s team concluded the students bordered on “pathologically sleepy.”

So, if the science is so strong, what’s getting in the way of changing the policy?

Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior, notes that passionate arguments abound on both sides of the debate—just about all of which she’s heard over the years. In some districts, the start times are largely dictated by local transportation companies, with school boards and superintendents contending they lack the funds or authority to change things. Meanwhile, parents are often reluctant to have teens start later, whether because they rely on having older children at home in the afternoons to take care of younger siblings or because they’re concerned that it will interfere with extracurricular opportunities. Indeed, there’s always a vocal chorus warning that later start times will hurt high-school sports.

But none of those worries override the reality that, as Carskadon put it, “everybody learns better when they’re awake.”

Implementing later start times can be feasible without causing major disruptions, as many school districts have demonstrated, Carskadon said. But it requires that all stakeholders commit to what’s often a time-consuming process of finding creative solutions, which, she added, isn’t always easy.

The medical writer and mother of three Terra Ziporyn Snider, who’s emerged as a national advocate for later start times, also cited widespread challenges hindering schools from making the switch. Getting school systems to change takes more than just presenting scientific evidence, said Snider, the co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Start School Later . The organization deploys volunteers to communities that are considering later school start times to bolster grassroots efforts.

“Social norms are at the root of this problem—most people don’t take [adolescent sleep deprivation] seriously and don’t see it as a public-health issue,” Snider said. “That kind of thinking has to change.”

One of the problems facing advocates of later school start times is that the people sympathetic to their cause seldom have the authority to reset the academic clock, Snider said. Parents typically only care about the issue when it affects their own families’ schedules, she said. That means roughly every four years the key players are replaced, and the grassroots efforts have to start from scratch.

“You start talking about changing start times, and people immediately jump to [all kinds of conclusions]. Teens will miss out on sports. L ittle kids will go to school in the dark and get run over by a car. What will happen to my child care? ” Snider said. “A lot of these fears and speculations turn out to be red herrings. The real obstacles are failure of imagination.”

Snider is hopeful that the policy pressures are reaching a tipping point, though, with the help of major voices like the CDC weighing in.

“It’s becoming increasingly embarrassing to say, ‘If we start school later, what happens to my kid’s three-hour soccer practice?’” Snider said. “We have to convince school systems this has to happen for the health of kids. It’s not a negotiable school budget item—it’s an absolute requirement.”

This post appears courtesy of the Education Writers Association.

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The Benefits of Later School Start Times

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Posted August 23, 2021 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• Why Is Sleep Important?
• Take our Sleep Habits Test
• Find a sleep therapist near me
• The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted schooling in many ways and school districts have created different instructional models.
• A study in a prominent journal reports how children in 6-12 grades nationwide have adjusted to different kinds of classes.
• Having online classes meant that more adolescents were able to obtain sufficient sleep than when they had to attend in person.

In a previous post, I mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic would provide much useful information about sleep habits, sleep needs, and the daily functioning of children. With the vast majority of schools conducting all or some classes online during the 2020-21 school year, the reduction of time required to get ready for school, along with the elimination of morning commutes, meant that students would not necessarily have to get up as early to start the school day.

A study just published in the journal Sleep provides data from over 5,000 students in grades 6-12 from all over the U.S. Students were either in (a) in-person classes; (b) online live classes with teacher interactions; or (c) online but without live classes or teacher interactions. Some students had “hybrid” instructional models with some in-person days and some online. Students reported the time their classes started in 30-minute intervals from “before 7:00 AM” to “after 9:30 AM.” They also reported their bedtimes and rise times, bedtime and rise time consistency (day-to-day variation), and bedtime routines, including the use of technological devices before going to bed.

How Start Times Affected Sleep

As expected, the time that the school day started (whether in-person or online) affected how much sleep was reported. With earlier starts, both bedtimes and wake times were earlier. On average, bedtimes for online live classes were around half an hour later than for in-person classes. For middle school students, a start time between 8:30 and 9:00 AM resulted in a greater number of students getting sufficient sleep (defined as at least 9 hours).

Of note is that only about a third of middle school students had start times this late. Only around half of the high school students who got sufficient sleep had in-person start times later than 8:30. There was considerable night-to-night variability in sleep, especially in the hybrid models, since students had to get up earlier for in-person days. In past research, more variability in sleep schedules has been associated with negative mood and behavior outcomes in children and adolescents.

These data have implications for the hard decisions many school districts have faced regarding start times for school. A great many districts have followed the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics for start times no earlier than 8:30 AM for middle and high school students and the results reported here indicate that such start times afford the opportunity for more sleep. The results also indicate that even for online instruction, starting at 8:30 or later is more optimal. Reducing day-to-day variation in start times for online classes is also a goal that school districts should consider.

What Does This Mean for Younger Children?

As I have mentioned numerous times in previous posts, start times for younger children (grades K-6) have received very little attention from researchers, and this recent study is illustrative of that point. In a majority of cases when school districts move middle and high school start times later, elementary start times are moved earlier, and we have no idea if very early start times are beneficial or at least not harmful for young children. Since younger children need more sleep, having an earlier start requires an earlier rise time to allow for preparation and commute.

There are individual differences in sleep needs by age, but guidelines typically call for 10-13 hours for preschoolers age 3-5 and 9-12 hours for children 6-12. For example, if a first or second grader’s school begins at 7:30 AM, they might have to be asleep before 8:00 PM to get sufficient sleep before waking early enough to get ready and commute to school.

Meltzer, L. J., Saletin, J. M., Honaker, S. M., Owens, J. A., Seixas, A., Wahlstrom, K. L., ... & Carskadon, M. A. (2021). COVID-19 instructional approaches (in-person, online, hybrid), school start times, and sleep in over 5,000 US adolescents. Sleep. zsab180, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab180

Joseph A. Buckhalt, Ph.D. , is Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Auburn University. He and his colleague Mona El-Sheikh, Ph.D. conduct research on sleep, health, and development in children and adolescents.

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Persuasive Essay About Why School Should Start Later

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Body paragraphs

It’s one of the favoured topics among high school students. You’re tired. After being up late last night, your school day started at 8:30 am this morning, and you want to know if anything can be done about it. Or perhaps you’re an early bird and like the time that school starts in the morning. Well, you can write a persuasive essay, and maybe if it’s good enough, your voice will be heard, either way.

Start off by taking a firm stance with your thesis statement. Whether you feel school should start later in the morning, or should not, you need to figure out why, and the reasons and benefits (or negatives) in your own mind, first of all. Make a quick outline with your statement of purpose at the top, followed by each point you want to make and the evidence you are going to use to support each point. Remember that you can use any evidence you like in a persuasive essay; it need not be restricted to facts and figures, but can be anecdotal, emotive, or statistical. Think of yourself as a politician trying to persuade an audience to vote for him or her.

Introduction examples

Pro: It’s been proven in many studies that teenagers do better with a later start to the day. With this in mind, why do we still start school at 8:30 in the morning?

Con: Starting later in the day at school interferes with parents’ working days, encourages students to stay up late, and would cause problems with after-school practices for sports.

Moving on into the body of your essay, carry on following your outline, setting up each point and presenting your evidence as you go. Have a look at potential titles, too, which should be reflective of your thesis statement.

Body paragraphs examples

Pro: Teenagers in high school should start at about 10 am. This would allow for a leisurely morning, making the day start off less fraught and stressful. A teenager could stay up until midnight or 1 am and still get a decent amount of sleep, which doesn’t happen when they have to wake up at 6:30 or 7 am. Traffic, too, will be more spread out, easing congestion, and students can take the time to get a good breakfast and be really mentally prepared for the day.

Con: Parents worry about getting themselves to work on time even when school starts at 8:30. A lot of working days would have to change significantly for people to get to work on time if high school started at 10 am instead. This could lead to large amounts of business disruption, and possible discrimination against parents for needing more flexible working hours.

Your conclusion is your last chance to leave an impression on your audience, so make it significant and meaningful. Start by briefly reiterating what your points were, and finish with a bang by calling on your audience to take some action in response to your essay.

Conclusion examples

Pro: Starting later results in benefits for teachers, benefits for students, and also for parents. Think about how rested you’d feel if you had a full eight hours or more sleep each night, and how much more you could get done in your day.

Con: A later school start will throw Australian cities into chaos and maybe even cause some parents to face consequences at work. The way things are now is fine, and there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.

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Does Your Teen's School Start Too Early?

A new survey shows more than 38% of parents believe school start times should be later.

Jetta Productions / Getty Images

It’s more years than I want to count since I started high school as a freshman in Miami, Florida but I still remember the huge transition that came from starting school at what felt like the crack of dawn.

My middle school began at 9:10 am—but in high school, the final bell rang at 7:30 am! I took long naps after school—much to the chagrin of my parents—and finally felt refreshed enough to start my homework long after dinnertime. This meant going to bed late (like after The Tonight Show late), barely waking up with time to brush my teeth (never time for breakfast), and barely making the bus. Then the cycle would start all over again the next day.

My freshman year grades were not terrible but I know they would’ve been so much better if I wasn’t constantly yawning and fighting to keep my eyes open in class. So, I was not shocked by the results of a survey recently conducted by the Sleep Foundation .

Out of 1,250 surveyed U.S. adults, 38.2% believe school start times in their area should be later, compared to 25.2% wanting earlier starts, and 36.6% wanting no change. Among parents and caregivers who preferred later start times, more than 81% said later start times would lead to more sleep for their kids. And as a bonus, 72% said they'd also get more sleep themselves.  

As of 2020, 83% of U.S. public high schools started before 8:30 a.m. The Sleep Foundation found Louisiana has the earliest start time at 7:30 a.m. followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Maybe that's why they also found 42.1% of adults in the Northeast preferred later school start times.

The Importance of Sleep for Teens

Studies show teens in schools with later start times get better sleep. More than 57% of middle school students and 72% of high school students reported sleeping less than what’s recommended based on their age.

Lisa L. Lewis, MS , author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen explains that kids shift to a later sleep schedule in adolescence because of circadian rhythm changes. “They’re not feeling sleepy until later in the evening, nor are they ready to wake as early as they once were. That’s why later start times are a much better fit for middle and high schoolers,” Lewis explains.

When schools start too early in the morning, teens often aren’t able to get the sleep they need—the recommendation is 8 to 10 hours up until age 18. “The American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical and public health groups all recommend start times no earlier than 8:30 am for middle and high school because of this,” she says. “When teens are sleep deprived, it has ramifications, across-the-board, affecting mental health , academic performance, substance use, and so much more.”

Michael Breus, PhD , a clinical psychologist and chief sleep officer at Sleep Doctor concurs. He explains that when teens go to bed at 10:00 pm but then must wake up at 6:00 am (getting 8 hours of sleep, but needing more) they run a sleep debt, causing them to be sleep deprived. “Sleep deprivation affects academic and social performance—including difficulty in memory, organizational skills, and the ability to pay attention."

Michael Breus, PhD

Sleep deprivation affects academic and social performance—including difficulty in memory, organizational skills, and the ability to pay attention.

"A sleepy teen will fall asleep during class —which besides not being good for performance, can affect their motivation, creativity, and problem-solving,” explains Dr. Breus. “A later school start time that is more in line with the child's chronotype helps with all of this, assuming the child actually gets to sleep later.”

Many cities and towns across the country have been successful in getting their school districts to change the start times of their middle and high schools. But so far, only two states have been successful on a statewide level.

As of July 1, 2022, California mandated an 8:30 a.m. or later start time for its high schools. In 2023, Florida also adopted a similar law mandating later start times for middle and high schools. That law goes into effect in 2026. Other states do have similar bills in their legislatures.

How to Help Your Student Get More Sleep

Until later school start times for middle and high school becomes the norm, there are some simple strategies you can implement in your home to help your child work through the sleep debt and thrive. 

Plan ahead with your student

Jennifer Weber, PsyD , the director of behavioral health at PM Pediatric Care says one of the best strategies is to plan ahead.

“If your child has a hard time going to bed early, have them troubleshoot the pain points of the morning the night before. Deciding what to wear and laying out outfits, packing backpacks, and making lunches ahead takes time and stress out of the morning,” she suggests.

Encourage positivity

Dr. Weber says a lot of negative thoughts often accompany having to get out of bed early, so she strongly suggests injecting some positive thoughts into your early morning routine.

"An inspirational quote on the bathroom mirror while brushing teeth or a favorite playlist for the car," she says. "Music in general is a great way to start the day.”

Set consistent bed times

Dr. Breus suggests having your middle and high schoolers go to bed at the same time every night, “including the weekends as it helps keep melatonin production high.”

While that's great advice to follow in theory, we as parents recognize that's not always realistic as teens have after-school and evening activities that sometimes run late. And let's be honest, they also start to have social lives on the weekends.

Have your student eat the right breakfast

Dr. Breus recommends a solid, protein-rich breakfast every morning before school. It can be grab and go but the protein is non-negotiable as “carbs make you sleepy.”

A short nap is ok

If your teen comes home from school truly too tired to start homework or partake in any after school activities, allowing them to take a short nap can be beneficial. But Dr. Breus says to evaluate and make sure those naps do not affect if your teen cannot fall asleep at bedtime.

Make it a joint effort

Most of all, parents must be mindful of the stresses that come along with these early morning wake ups. Dr. Weber suggests both kids and parents get up together—with enough time to get ready sans yelling and nagging. “ Nothing stresses kids more than their stressed parents,” she says. 

What Do We Really Think of Later School Start Times? Sleep Foundation. July 2023.

Short Sleep Duration Among Middle School and High School Students—United States, 2015 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). January 2018.

School start times for adolescents . Pediatrics . 2014.

Patrick Y, Lee A, Raha O, et al. Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in university students .  Sleep Biol Rhythms . 2017;15(3):217-225. doi:10.1007/s41105-017-0099-5

Senate Bill 328, Chapter 868 . California Legislative Information . Approved by CA Governor October 13, 2019.

CS/HB 733 - Middle School and High School Start Times . Florida House of Representatives. Signed by Governor May 12, 2023.

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Why Should School Start Later?

Table of Contents

Teens reverie sleep each day. This need does not imply laziness on their part or lack of ambition thereof. Instead, sleep cycles change as children grow into adolescence. In adolescence, teens stay up until late and only get up late. It happens because their bodies release a hormone called melatonin which regulates their sleep. Consequently, the melatonin-induced rest keeps teens asleep until 8 a.m. making it appropriate to go to school later. Schools starting later help improve physiological and psychological well-being and help improve learners’ educational performance.

Physiological and Physical Well-Being

Arguably, the most crucial reason schools should start later is adolescent physiology. Adolescents are still growing and developing, and their body clocks are still changing. Studies have shown that, due to these changes, adolescents tend to go to bed later and wake up later than adults, leading to a lack of sleep (Crowley et at., 2018). This lack of sleep can negatively affect adolescents’ physical and mental health, such as fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration. Starting school later would allow adolescents to get the amount of sleep they need. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that when schools started later, adolescents got an extra 42 minutes of sleep per night compared to when schools began earlier. This extra sleep can help to improve their physical and mental health and can help to improve their performance in school.

The teenage years are a time of rapid physical and psychological growth and development. As adolescents try to figure out who they are and where they fit in, they often feel overwhelmed by the pressures of school, their peers, and society. As a result, adolescents are more prone to stress and anxiety than adults. One way to help reduce this stress is to start school later in the morning. By giving adolescents more time to rest and relax before facing the pressures of school, they can better manage their stress levels (Freeman et at., 2020). Studies have shown that adolescents report feeling less stressed, more rested, and more alert when school starts later in the morning. These findings suggest that starting school later in the morning can reduce stress and improve psychological functioning in adolescents. In addition to reducing stress, starting school later can also help to enhance adolescents’ self-esteem.

Adolescents often struggle with insecurity and self-doubt as they try to fit in with their peers and find their place in the world (Freeman et al., 2020). As a result, they often compare themselves to their peers, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Starting school later can reduce this pressure by giving adolescents more time to rest and relax. This habit can help adolescents to accept themselves for who they are and be more confident in their abilities. Evidence from studies has shown that when school starts later in the morning, adolescents report feeling more positive about themselves, including handling more confident, less anxious, and less stressed (Patrick et al., 2020). Starting school later can also help adolescents better manage their emotions. Adolescents often struggle with regulating their emotions and can become easily overwhelmed by their feelings. These emotional states can lead to irritability, impulsivity, and aggression. However, starting school later in the morning can help reduce these feelings, giving adolescents more time to rest and relax before facing the pressures of school. Evidence from studies has shown that when school starts later, adolescents report feeling less irritable, more alert, and more capable of managing their emotions.

Educational Reasons

The most apparent educational benefit of starting school later is that it gives students more time to sleep. Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and is vital for students’ physical and mental health. A later start can give students more time to get the sleep they need to be well-rested and alert during the school day. Studies have shown that students who get adequate sleep are more likely to perform academically, attend better, and be more motivated in school (Sweller et al., 2019). In addition to the potential health benefits of getting more sleep, starting school later can also provide more time for learning and development. With more time in the morning, adolescents can participate in activities such as studying, reading, or reviewing material they learned the previous day. This action can help improve their understanding of the material and help them retain the information longer.

A later start time can also provide more time for extracurricular activities and sports. These activities can help improve adolescents’ physical health and provide them with opportunities for social interaction and emotional development (Freeman et al., 2020). Providing adolescents more time for these activities can help improve their overall well-being. Furthermore, starting school later can help to reduce the stress that students often experience. With a later start time, students can spend more time on activities they enjoy and less worrying about getting up for school in the morning. This will help reduce stress levels and allows students to focus more on their education.

In conclusion, there are many advantages to having school start later. School starting later would give students more time to get adequate sleep, which helps with their mental and physical health. Furthermore, students would be more alert and have better focus during their classes, allowing them to absorb more information and make better grades. Later starting times also give students more time to spend on extracurricular activities and less time worrying about homework and exams. Finally, starting school later would reduce students’ stress and help create a more positive school environment. In addition, starting school later would benefit both students and teachers, an idea that school administrators should seriously consider.

• Crowley, S. J., Wolfson, A. R., Tarokh, L., & Carskadon, M. A. (2018). An update on adolescent sleep: New evidence informing the perfect storm model. Journal of Adolescence, 67 , 55-65.
• Freeman, S., Marston, H. R., Olynick, J., Musselwhite, C., Kulczycki, C., Genoe, R., & Xiong, B. (2020). Intergenerational effects on the impacts of technology use in later life: Insights from an international, multi-site study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (16), 5711.
• Patrick, S. W., Henkhaus, L. E., Zickafoose, J. S., Lovell, K., Halvorson, A., Loch, S., … & Davis, M. M. (2020). The well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey. Pediatrics ,  146 (4).
• Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J., & Paas, F. (2019). Cognitive architecture and instructional design: 20 years later. Educational Psychology Review, 31 (2), 261-292.
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10 Reasons Why School Should Start Later (Top Benefits!)

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Research demonstrates that school starting later is good for adolescents . It can give them more time to sleep and even improve test scores.

Nevertheless, school starting later does have some downsides. Parents need to get their children off to school early so they can go to work and earn money for their families.

Here are my top 10 reasons why school should start later.

• Helps students focus
• Caters to their natural sleep timetable
• Reduce the risk of car accidents
• Reduces risky behavior
• Improves information retention
• Helps teens feel happier
• Improves attendance
• Reduces stress
• Increases breakfast consumption
• Caters to their needs

There are a number of reasons school should start later, and it’s not just because the teenagers are being lazy and want to sleep in. The rest of this article will address the scientific reasons defending a later start for schools.

Don’t miss the other side of the debate: Reasons School Should Start Earlier!

Reasons Why School should Start Later

1. school helps students focus.

One of the primary reasons school should start later is that it helps them focus. For students who are naturally inclined to stay up late and sleep in, going to school earlier can disrupt their circadian rhythm, diminishing their capacity to retain information.

What teachers often mistake for laziness is often the student’s body being negatively impacted by an unnatural biological cycle, compounding in a lack of focus on schoolwork.

In fact, a study by Lufi et al. (2011) found that an extra hour of sleep for adolescents significantly increased their attention levels on the “Mathematics Continuous Performance Test”.

By contrast, students that have a hard time focusing are also often singled out for misbehavior, which can affect their self-perception and make them less inclined to put in effort at school.

2. Caters to Their Natural Sleep Schedule

Another important reasons why school should start later is that a later start is better for students’ natural sleep cycle.

Especially for teenagers, the tendency is to stay up late and sleep longer, needing 8.5-9.5 hours to be fully rested. For a student who goes to bed at 11p.m., they would need to sleep until 7:30-8:30a.m. to be fully rested, a time frame when most schools have already started.

At the end of the day, better sleep means better performance in school. Students who feel refreshed in the morning are more likely to be optimistic about the day’s work and more receptive to learning.

3. Reduces the Risk of Car Accidents

Aside from improving student learning, a longer rest period for students who drive reduces the risk of car accidents.

For teens who are just learning how to drive, adding on an early school start is just a recipe for disaster. Teenagers make up over 50% of all car accidents that involve fatalities, and it certainly makes one wonder just how many of them are caused by sleep deprivation.

Lack of sleep slows down motor reflexes (Taheri & Arabameri, 2012) and makes a driver far more likely to make an error in judgement and cause an accident. Paired with their biological need to sleep longer, teens who start school earlier are more likely to get into accidents in the morning.

4. Reduces Other Risky Behaviors

Sleep-deprived teenagers are more likely to engage in any risky behaviors, not just driving dangerously.

While, of course, there are other factors that contribute to adolescent risk-taking (not least of which is an underdeveloped brain ), there’s no denying that sleep-deprived students aren’t using their mental faculties to full effect when it comes to risky decision making.

Switching to a later start time can help students, especially teenagers, feel more rested, emotionally stable, and less sleep-deprived so that they maximize their chances of making intelligent decisions.

5. Improves Information Retention

As well as helping students focus in the classroom environment, a later school start helps students retain information during class, especially those first and second period classes getting into the swing of the day.

Retaining information requires a lot of brainpower, something that students might struggle to conjure up if they are sleep-deprived.

A later start gives students more time to prepare themselves mentally for the day of learning ahead, helping them retain more information along the way.

One of the most extensive systematic reviews of the literature on school start times found that mid- to long-term memory retention is mildly improved with increased sleep in adolescents (Marx et al., 2017).

6. Helps Teens Feel Happier

When school starts early, teenagers can feel as though their natural circadian rhythm is off all the time, negatively affecting their mood and sense of well-being.

In fact, well-being is one of the most positive outcomes from research on late school start times (Marx et al., 2017).

Anecdotally, teenagers seem to be inclined to go to bed later (perhaps due to less self-governing abilities than adults). They also tend to need longer periods of rest than adults because they are going through significant physical and cognitive changes.

With that in mind, a later start to school is more in line with their biological needs and can positively affect their happiness.

7. Improved Attendance (Potentially)

Students who struggle in school or don’t see the merit in education often have a hard time motivating themselves to work hard, or even attend school at all.

When classes begin before 8:00, which is common in most schools, students on the periphery may feel more inclined to skip first period altogether to catch up on their sleep.

Starting a little later removes that concern and helps students who are struggling to motivate themselves take a little more time in the morning to prepare for the day ahead.

8. Reduced Stress

In a similar vein, students face a lot of stress that can negatively affect their performance in school, and the prospect of starting school so early is yet another factor that may contribute to stress in their lives.

Starting school later may on a case-by-case basis reduce stress, especially when it comes to attending first period. For example, the systematic review by Marx et al. (2017) found that some research shows that children often “are less tense at home, and school nurses have reported fewer stress-related complaints and illnesses.”

9. They Eat More Breakfast

A later school starting time may mean students will consume more breakfast.

Marx et al’s (2017, p. 13) systematic review found that some evidence points toward this outcome:

“There has been some indication (especially in Wahlstrom 2002) that students in later starting schools eat breakfast more often.”

Of course, intuitively this makes sense. They will have more time in the morning to prepare for school, meaning there is extra space in the day to allow young people to prepare and eat their breakfast.

The benefits of eating breakfast are vast – including heart health, better memory retention, and more stable moods.

10. Caters to Their Needs

Lastly, and in summation, starting school later than 8:00 helps cater to what the students want and need.

Most students would prefer not to have to run through the routine of preparing for school early in the morning if they could start later, and for teenagers especially, starting later could be a way to address their wants and needs .

There are a number of reasons school should start later than it does, and most students would jump at the chance to shift their first period back by just an hour. Starting school later helps students get a better night’s sleep, focus on their classwork, and improves their chances of success.

Other Debate Topics

• 16 Reasons College Athletes Should be Paid
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Bowers, J. M., & Moyer, A. (2017). Effects of school start time on students’ sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and attendance: a meta-analysis.  Sleep health ,  3 (6), 423-431.

Lufi, D., Tzischinsky, O., & Hadar, S. (2011). Delaying school starting time by one hour: some effects on attention levels in adolescents.  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine ,  7 (2), 137-143.

Marx, R., Tanner‐Smith, E. E., Davison, C. M., Ufholz, L. A., Freeman, J., Shankar, R., … & Hendrikx, S. (2017). Later school start times for supporting the education, health, and well‐being of high school students: a systematic review.  Campbell Systematic Reviews ,  13 (1), 1-99.

Taheri, M., & Arabameri, E. (2012). The effect of sleep deprivation on choice reaction time and anaerobic power of college student athletes.  Asian journal of sports medicine ,  3 (1), 15.

Wahistrom, K. (2002). Changing times: Findings from the first longitudinal study of later high school start times.  Nassp Bulletin ,  86 (633), 3-21. Widome, R., Berger, A. T., Iber, C., Wahlstrom, K., Laska, M. N., Kilian, G., … & Erickson, D. J. (2020). Association of delaying school start time with sleep duration, timing, and quality among adolescents.  JAMA pediatrics ,  174 (7), 697-704.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Starting School Later — Why Should School Start Later: Negative Effects of Early School Start

Why Should School Start Later: Negative Effects of Early School Start

• Categories: High School Starting School Later Student

About this sample

Words: 1679 |

Updated: 3 November, 2023

Words: 1679 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, why should school start later, works cited, video version.

• Carskadon, M. A., & Acebo, C. (2002). Regulation of sleepiness in adolescents: update, insights, and speculation. Sleep, 25(6), 606-614.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Schools start too early. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html
• Danner, F., & Phillips, B. (2008). Adolescent sleep, school start times, and teen motor vehicle crashes. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 4(6), 533-535.
• Gruber, R., Somerville, G., Enros, P., Paquin, S., Kestenberg, J., & Carrier, J. (2016). Sleep efficiency (but not sleep duration) of healthy adolescents is greater with later school start times. Sleep, 39(2), 349-356.
• Hagenauer, M. H., Perryman, J. I., Lee, T. M., & Carskadon, M. A. (2009). Adolescent changes in the homeostatic and circadian regulation of sleep. Developmental Neuroscience, 31(4), 276-284.
• Minges, K. E., & Redeker, N. S. (2016). Delayed school start times and adolescent sleep: A systematic review of the experimental evidence. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 28, 86-95.
• Owens, J. A., Belon, K., & Moss, P. (2010). Impact of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep, mood, and behavior. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(7), 608-614.
• Paruthi, S., Brooks, L. J., D'Ambrosio, C., Hall, W. A., Kotagal, S., Lloyd, R. M., ... & Wise, M. S. (2016). Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 785-786.
• Wahlstrom, K. L., & Dretzke, B. (2009). Changing times: Findings from the first longitudinal study of later high school start times. NASSP Bulletin, 93(4), 1-22.
• Wheaton, A. G., Ferro, G. A., Croft, J. B., & School start times and insufficient sleep among high school students—United States, 2015–2017. (2018). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(3), 85-90.

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How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep?

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Eric Suni has over a decade of experience as a science writer and was previously an information specialist for the National Cancer Institute.

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Dr. Nilong Vyas

Pediatrician

Dr. Vyas is a pediatrician and founder of Sleepless in NOLA. She specializes in helping parents establish healthy sleep habits for children.

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Table of Contents

What Are Common School Start Times?

Best school start times, how do school start times affect school performance, why are later school start times better.

Does your child struggle to wake up to get ready for school ? Are they still sleepy in their classes, unable to concentrate, or even falling asleep during class? While frustrating, this is not an uncommon experience for adolescents in the United States.

The number of hours Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source children need to sleep depends on their age. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine , children ages 6–12 need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep at night, and teenagers ages 13–18 need between 8 and10 hours each night. However, studies have demonstrated that most American adolescents are not getting enough sleep Trusted Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. View Source . Nearly 60% of middle schoolers do not get enough sleep on school nights. For high schoolers, that number is over 70%.

Late bedtimes and early school start times are a contributing factor to a lack of adolescent sleep. A lack of sleep impacts overall student health, wellbeing, and academic success, and it can even have long-term health consequences.

In the United States, the average high school start time is 8:00 a.m. Trusted Source National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) The NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. View Source This time varies, though, depending on the state. Except for eight outlying states, each state’s average start time is between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.

Other start time factors include the location of the school district and the school type. For example, 54% of high schools in the suburbs start before 8:00 a.m. By contrast, over half of charter high schools start after 8:00 a.m., and high schools with fewer than 200 students begin around 8:15 a.m on average. (This study did not include data on private schools.)

Data on average middle school start times is less recent and does not include public charter or private schools. When assessed by the CDC for the 2011–2012 school year, the average start time at middle schools in the United States was at 8:04 a.m. Trusted Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. View Source   This is slightly later than high schools. The middle school start times varied widely, too, depending on the state. This study also noted the start time for combined middle and high schools; the average was 8:08 a.m.

Both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that both middle and high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source Both organizations want to ensure students get adequate sleep so that they are alert and prepared to learn at school.

Biology plays a large factor in the sleep cycles of children and adolescents. Around the beginning of puberty, most adolescents experience later sleep onset and wake times, also called “phase delay”. This phase delay can shift the body’s internal clock back by up to two hours. As a result, the average teenager cannot fall asleep until 11:00 p.m. and would do best waking up at 8:00 a.m. or even later.

A later school start time helps accommodate this biological need. Overall care for sleep hygiene, such as having a good night’s sleep and following back-to-school sleep tips , can also help adolescents regulate their sleep.

Other factors that affect student sleep are cultural expectations Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . American middle and high school students often take on various extracurricular activities — such as sports, clubs, and jobs — which often extend into the evening hours. High school students also have more homework, late-night technology use, and fewer parent-set bedtimes, all of which may cause students to stay up later than is appropriate for getting adequate sleep .

Countless studies have shown that early school start times are associated with students getting less sleep, which negatively affects student academic performance. Students with less sleep have difficulty paying attention in class and are likely to have lower grades. They may also experience irritability and fatigue.

Other concerns with early school start times and the resulting insufficient sleep include:

• Increased likelihood for participating in risk-taking behaviors, such as bullying and fighting.
• Greater chance of unhealthy behaviors including alcohol and drug use and tobacco smoking .
• Higher risk of athletic injury Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source .
• An increase of depressive symptoms including suicidal ideation.
• Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents .

A lack of sleep also has long-term physical and mental health consequences. Poor quantity and quality of sleep can lead to health concerns such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

Later school start times support the biological needs of adolescents; they increase the amount of sleep adolescents get. Other benefits of later start times include:

• Improved attendance at school.
• Decreased tardiness .
• Better student grades Trusted Source American Psychological Association (APA) APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 121,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members. View Source .
• Fewer occurrences of falling asleep in class.
• Reduced irritability and depressive symptoms.
• Fewer disciplinary issues.
• A decline of motor vehicle crashes. One study showed a 16.5% decrease in the teenage crash rate Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source after the school start time was pushed back one hour.

Disadvantages of Later School Start Times

While there are numerous benefits of later school start times, there are a few possible negative outcomes:

• Scheduling conflicts . These may arise for athletic and academic competitions against schools with earlier start times and therefore an earlier dismissal.
• Transportation challenges. Later start times will likely mean more busses on the road later in the day; this could create more traffic and increase travel delays.
• Childcare . Some families rely on older students to care for younger siblings after school; this may be more difficult if high schools dismiss later than elementary or middle schools.

However, these problems can likely be solved with flexibility and thoughtful planning.

If you are concerned about a too-early start time for your child’s school, consider contacting your school board or other educational leaders to discuss delaying school start time.

About Our Editorial Team

Eric Suni, Staff Writer

Medically Reviewed by

Dr. Nilong Vyas, Pediatrician MD

References 9 sources.

Consensus Conference Panel, Watson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., Kushida, C., Malhotra, R. K., Martin, J. L., Patel, S. R., Quan, S. F., Tasali, E., Non-Participating Observers, Twery, M., Croft, J. B., Maher, E., … Heald, J. L. (2015). Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: A joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 11(6), 591–592.

Wheaton, A. G., Jones, S. E., Cooper, A. C., Croft, J. B. (2018). Short sleep duration among middle school and high school students — United States, 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 67, 85-90.

Sawyer, H., Taie, S., & Westat. (2020, February). Start Time for U.S. Public High Schools. The Institute of Education Sciences.

Wheaton AG, Ferro GA, Croft JB. School Start Times for Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2011–12 School Year. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2015;64(30);809-813.

Adolescent Sleep Working Group; Committee on Adolescence; Council on School Health. School start times for adolescents. Pediatrics. 2014 Sep;134(3):642-9.

Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, Croft JB. School Start Times, Sleep, Behavioral, Health, and Academic Outcomes: A Review of the Literature. J Sch Health. 2016 May;86(5):363-81.

Watson NF, Martin JL, Wise MS, Carden KA, Kirsch DB, Kristo DA, Malhotra RK, Olson EJ, Ramar K, Rosen IM, Rowley JA, Weaver TE, Chervin RD; American Academy of Sleep Medicine Board of Directors. Delaying Middle School and High School Start Times Promotes Student Health and Performance: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Apr 15;13(4):623-625.

The American Psychological Association. (2014). Later School Start Times Promote Adolescent Well-Being., Retrieved January 26, 2021 from

Danner F, Phillips B. Adolescent sleep, school start times, and teen motor vehicle crashes. J Clin Sleep Med. 2008 Dec 15;4(6):533-5.

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