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New research shows that high school students benefit in many ways from later start times.
It all began with a phone call 20 years ago to the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota in August 1996. The superintendent of Minnesota's Edina School District was reaching out to CAREI, seeking to discover if the new change in the start time of their high school - from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. - would have any effect. I took that call. When I learned the reason for the change - namely, that the district's later start time purported to address developmental changes in the teenage brain related to sleep - I was skeptical. As a former teacher, school principal, and district office administrator in special education, I thought I had heard it all when it came to explaining teenage behavior. This association between brain development and teenagers was new to me.

But as we started our yearlong study, the evidence began piling up. Our research team found amazing changes were happening. Students were now awake the first hour of class, the principal reported fewer disciplinary incidents in the halls and lunchroom, and students reported less depression and feelings of greater efficacy. Over 92% of the parents said their kids were "easier to live with."

As the early findings from Edina were being reported, the Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent and school board decided a year later, in 1997, that they, too, would change the start times of their seven comprehensive high schools from 7:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. This change affected 52,000 K-12 students. The multitiered busing schedule moved elementary students to the earliest times, with high school and middle school students shifting to the later times. The outcomes for the Minneapolis students were similar to those for Edina, although the settings - urban as opposed to suburban - couldn't have been more different.
The medical research behind the change
What we know about human development and, most recently, about the maturation of the teenage brain lends credence to the fact that "it's a matter of biology, not choice" that teenagers are unable to fall asleep before about 10:45 p.m. and that their brains remain in sleep mode until about 8 a.m. This delay in the circadian rhythms for teenagers is directly related to hormonal changes during puberty. Most teens experience this so-called sleep phase shift only during adolescence; the shift will disappear as teens enter their 20s.

Teens need about 9.25 hours of sleep each night, a difficult amount to obtain when the brain doesn't enter sleep mode until about 10:45 p.m. and when students must awaken early for a school day that begins before 8:30 a.m. Medical research has shown dramatic negative effects of sleep deprivation, especially in people who are chronically sleep-deprived. Depression, obesity, substance use and abuse, and increased car crashes are just some of the serious consequences. From the early 1990s to now, the medical research findings about the sleep needs of teens became a significant body of knowledge (Carskadon, Acebo, & Jenni, 2004; Jenni, Achermann, & Carskadon, 2005).
From a slow start to a movement
High schools across the United States began grappling with the possibility of changing start times one school and district at a time. In the early 2000s, few schools had made the shift. Those that did were not inclined to be studied. Many believed that a public examination of the change would be fraught with politics, and they feared the change would be found to have no benefits (Wahlstrom, 1999).

Nevertheless, from 2000 to 2010, more than 400 superintendents and principals contacted me for information and guidance. They had questions about a later start time's effect on grades and sports and on how to solve transportation issues. This was a time of cautious inquiry, with school leaders wondering how their school boards or community would react. Administrators needed factual information from both the medical and education research worlds about brain development and how the two sources of information intersect.

By 2005, more than 250 high schools in the United States had made the shift to a later start time, according to early data collected by the National Sleep Foundation. Early research from 1996 through 2002 revealed that absences, tardiness, and sleepiness in school had significantly declined with later start times and that students' moods and feelings of efficacy had improved (Wahlstrom, 2002). It still remained unclear, however, how the change in time affected grades. No Child Left Behind provided an impetus for collecting achievement data and measuring effects over time.

During this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was monitoring the mounting research evidence of the role of sleep in teens' mental and physical health and began voicing concerns for the health of sleep-deprived teens. In 2010, they issued a call for a larger study to be conducted over several years on the outcomes for high schools that moved to later start times.

I was awarded that grant to study the outcomes over three years in high schools in several locations across the United States. Even though hundreds of schools changed to a later start time, only a few were willing to participate in data collection with students and parents and then engage in the resulting public scrutiny from the findings. Then as now, the politics of managing a community's perception of the change is more than most superintendents want to deal with.
A look at eight schools with later start times
Eight high schools in five school districts in three states - Minnesota, Colorado, and Wyoming - agreed to participate in the CDC-funded study, which I conducted from 2010 to 2013 (Wahlstrom et al., 2014). The start times of the high schools ranged from 8:00 a.m. to 8:55 a.m. We surveyed more than 9,000 students in grades 9-12 on their sleep habits, mood, study habits, substance use, and cocurricular activities. We also looked at academic variables, such as grades earned, attendance, tardiness, and standardized test results.

The eight high schools had a range of demographic characteristics, raising confidence that the outcomes aren't associated with a particular group of students. Percentages of students of color in the schools ranged from 10% to 40%, the free and reduced-price lunch rate ranged from 10% to 34%, and graduation rates ranged from 81% to 97%.
Academic outcomes
The analysis involved examining student data by school and grade level before and after the time change. We found significant decreases in absences and tardiness in all grades 9-12 in the school districts that had instituted the latest school start times of 8:35 and 8:55 a.m. - in one district, there was a 66% drop in tardiness.

An interesting difference emerged when we compared the outcomes of schools starting at 8:00-8:30 a.m. with those of the school with the latest start time of 8:55 a.m. Examining grades earned before and after the time change, we found:

Statistically significant increases in the 1st-period grade point average in one or more core courses of English, math, social studies, and science in three districts with start times from 8:00-8:35 a.m.

Significant increases in grade point average in all 1st-period core courses for all semesters in all grades in Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming, with a start time of 8:55 a.m.

The evidence shows that the later the start time, the greater the academic benefits.
Health and activities outcomes
A seminal analysis of the data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that eight or more hours of sleep appear to be a tipping point in the at-risk behaviors of teenagers (McKnight-Eily et al., 2011). Cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use declined by 8% to 14% when teens slept eight or more hours each night, with depression and sexual activity also declining by 9% to 11%. Thus, the closer a school's start time comes to enabling eight or more hours of sleep each school night, the greater the reduction in risky teen behaviors. Figure 1 shows the percentage of high school students in our study who slept at least eight hours on school nights by school start time.

In our study, we found the same patterns of benefit for the health of teens with a later start time. Among the 9,395 students in our study, those who slept eight or more hours each night were significantly less likely to:

Report symptoms of depression;

Fall asleep in class;

Drink caffeinated beverages;

Have a phone or computer in their bedroom; and

Do dangerous things without thinking.

The good news is that students who participate in clubs, sports, or other organized activities are significantly less likely to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, drink soda or energy drinks, or report depression. On the flipside, we also found that students who participate in clubs or other organized activities or work at a job for pay are significantly more likely to get insufficient sleep (fewer than eight hours a night). Further, the more days each week that students spend practicing or doing sports before school, the lower the self-reported grades. Thus, given what we now know, creating a balance between students' sleep needs and their interests outside of school is important.

When schools have a later start time, which enables students to obtain eight or more hours of sleep, students are more likely to reap the benefits - unless they wake up often during the night to engage with social media. Students who reported more bedroom distractions were significantly more likely to get insufficient (fewer than eight hours) of sleep on school nights. In our study, we found that 87.6% of those surveyed kept a cell phone in their bedroom, which could easily wake them with a beep when messages come through. Thus, a later start time isn't in itself the panacea for reducing sleep deprivation in teenagers.
Car crash data
Car accidents are the greatest cause of accident death in teens; more than 2,700 teens are killed in car crashes each year. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data (n.d.), during 2006, a teen died in a traffic crash an average of once every hour on weekends and nearly once every two hours during the week. Sleep deprivation is linked with car crashes for all drivers and is a particular problem for teenagers, who are inexperienced drivers. A person who is sleep-deprived has reduced reaction times, slower eye movements, and decreased ability to make quick decisions. In fact, a person with fewer than four hours of sleep has the same driving characteristics as someone who is legally drunk with a blood alcohol content of .08%. Sleep-deprived teen drivers are not only a danger to themselves but also a danger to anyone who shares the road with them.

Our study collected car crash data from the three states' departments of public safety. We examined crash data for September through May for teens in the schools before and after the time change was initiated. After the change to a later start time, the number of car crashes in the five districts studied decreased by 13%. Reductions ranged from 6% to 70%, with the greatest reduction seen in the first year of the change in Jackson Hole, Wyo., which had the latest start time of 8:55 a.m. Given this compelling information, it's no wonder that the CDC, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all issued policy statements that endorse a high school start time of no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
Some recommendations
Given what we've learned from our research, we have a few recommendations for schools and districts considering changing their high school start times.
Go for the latest start time.
Research findings suggest that districts that make a modest move to a later start time for example, from 7:25 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. or from 7:35 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. experience modest benefits but also experience the same amount of community disruption as districts that make the change to start at 8:30 or later. In other words, the benefits are proportional to the amount of time change. Thus, when district leaders discuss whether to implement a later high school start time, they should select the maximum change possible. To make the change in stages or as a pilot will only lengthen the time, by years, that the community will have to deal with the disruption.

The first year of a districtwide change will be an adjustment for everyone. However, once new routines have been in place for a year, districts that have made the shift have not voted to return the high school to the earlier start times.
Some concerns are real; others just imagined.
In every community, people expressed concerns about the possible negative effects of implementing a later start time in their schools. These issues can often polarize the views of community members and paralyze decision making. Our investigation found that some of those concerns have a real basis and are best addressed before the time change, whereas other concerns never materialized.

Here are some issues that need attention:

Athletic schedules that may result in a student athlete missing part of a class at the end of the day.

Because of a rearranged bus schedule, younger children may have to take an earlier bus to school when it may still be dark.

Arranging child care for younger children before and after school may be more difficult.

Parents' work schedules may not easily align with the new start time.

The later start time may coincide with local rush-hour traffic, creating the need to discuss with the local traffic safety officials how traffic flow can be improved.

Here are some common worries that never materialized in the districts we studied:

The later start time may result in less participation in sports and fewer games won.

Because they get up later in the morning, teens may choose to stay up later at night.

Participation in after-school activities may decline.

Students might have difficulty arriving on time to after-school employment.

Transportation costs may increase.

Transportation - the timing and cost - is usually the biggest hurdle. Creative alternatives for student transportation are usually the best way to address the problem. Some districts shifted to multiage busing, while others moved to a wheel-and-spoke busing pattern. Also, concerns about sports can unnecessarily derail the discussion. In the schools we studied, there was no negative effect to the sports program or to the number of wins a school experienced after changing to a later start time. Child care before and after school is an issue that supportive alternatives can help resolve, such as providing more options for fee-based care at each elementary school. Ultimately, involving and educating all members of the community are essential for successful change.
Where policy and research intersect
The body of evidence concerning the academic benefits of a later start time for high school students is compelling. Also, the medical research into the function of the brain in memory, learning, and cognition is robust, while the link between sleep and mental health is unequivocal. Finally, we can't ignore recent studies on the decrease in car crashes involving teens with greater amounts of sleep. Implementing a later high school start time acknowledges the vital relationship between school policies and the research on human development. Rarely do those two worlds intersect so directly.
Next steps
Schools and districts that are considering changing the start time of a high school must engage a wide range of stakeholders in the discussion. Administrators and teachers need to discuss how the sleep needs of students intersect with school activities, such as the timing of homework assignments. Parents need to become better informed about the importance of sleep and how to support good sleep hygiene at home, including removing technology devices from their child's bedroom at bedtime. Finally, the most successful transitions to a later start time have brought into the process community health care providers, such as pediatricians; community activities directors, such as parks and recreation leaders; and public safety officials.

It's taken 20 years for schools across the United States to fully engage in the movement to change high school start times. Education decision makers have begun to realize that teens aren't lazy and that they are, instead, in a unique time in their development where they need substantial amounts of sleep. That recognition is driving the changes in start times (see www.startschoollater.net/) that we're now seeing in 44 U.S. states and in hundreds of schools and districts.

Teens face an incredibly challenging world. Together, school leaders and parents have the responsibility to create the best possible conditions for them in which to grow and thrive. Implementing later high school start times is a significant change that positively affects their health, safety, and learning. If we have that will, we can find the way.
References
Carskadon, M.A., Acebo, C., & Jenni, O. (2004). Regulation of adolescent sleep: Implications for behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021, 276-291.

Jenni O., Achermann P., & Carskadon M. (2005). Homeostatic sleep regulation in adolescents. Sleep, 28 (11), 1446-1454.

McKnight-Eily, L.R., Eaton, D.K., Lowry, R., Croft, J.B., Presley-Cantrell, L., & Perry, G.S. (2011). Relationships between hours of sleep and health-risk behaviors in U.S. adolescent students. Preventive Medicine, 53, 271-273.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (n.d.). Teen drivers: Additional resources. Washington, DC: Author. www.nhtsa.org.

Wahlstrom, K. (1999, January). The prickly politics of school starting times. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (5), 344-347.

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

Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the impact of later school start times on the health and academic performance of high school students: A multisite study. St Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. http://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/162769

Originally published in December 2016/January 2017 Phi Delta Kappan 98 (4), 8-14. © 2016 Phi Delta Kappa International. All rights reserved.

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Later start time for teens improves grades, mood, and safety - kappanonline.org

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New research shows that high school students benefit in many ways from later start times.

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Mar. 23 --

SUNDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Many American teens believe that starting school later in the morning and giving tests later in the school day would help improve their grades, a new study finds.

Researchers surveyed 280 students at a suburban high school outside of Philadelphia. The students start their school day at 7:30 a.m. and finish at 2:25 p.m. The survey found that:

78 percent of the students said they found it difficult to get up in the morning.

Only 16 percent said they felt they got enough sleep.

70 percent said they believed their grades would improve if they had more sleep.

90 percent felt their academic performance would improve if school started later in the morning.

Many students said they did not feel alert taking tests during early morning classes and don't think they're at the peak of their academic ability at that time.

Most of the teens said the best time to take tests would be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Teenagers need more sleep than adults [eight to nine hours vs. seven to eight] and their circadian rhythms are phase shifted so that their ideal bedtime is midnight to 1 a.m.; yet they have to get up at 6:30 or earlier for high school," study author Dr. Richard Schwab, of the University of Pennsylvania, said in a prepared statement.

High schools should start classes at 8:30 or 8:45 in the morning, he said.

"School systems should be thinking about changing their start times. It would not be easy -- they would have to change the busing system -- but it would increase their students' sleep time and likely improve their school performance," Schwab said.

The study was slated for presentation Sunday at the American Thoracic Society's international conference, in San Francisco.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about teens and sleep.

SOURCE: American Thoracic Society, news release, May 20, 2007

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Most Teens Want a Later Start to School Days

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Re " New start times for schools this fall would be a disaster "; Commentary, Jan. 25, 2022

As a physician specializing in sleep medicine, and as an advocate for student health, we are concerned that the commentary ignores the key issue of adolescent sleep deprivation and mental health.

Let us be clear: the importance of protecting our teens from harmfully early school start times has not changed, and given the increasing pressure they are under has never been more urgent.

KEEP TABS ON THE LATEST CALIFORNIA POLICY AND POLITICS NEWS

Teens have suffered tremendously during the pandemic. With increases in teen depression and suicide, the U.S. Surgeon General has declared a national emergency in youth mental health and joins the long list of health organizations calling for later school start times to improve teens' mental health and reduce suicide. This year most of California's secondary school students will get that help, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 328 in 2019, the healthy school start times law.

Sleep is foundational to health, yet most teens aren't getting enough of it. Sleep loss is especially harmful to adolescents, causing higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, obesity and car crashes. And the primary cause is school start times that force teens to wake up too early for their naturally later sleep patterns, robbing most of the nine hours they need. When schools start later, teens get more and better sleep, and they are happier, healthier and safer. They do better in school and in life.

Bolstered by billions in extra state and federal funds, many California school districts have already finalized their SB 328-compliant plans for starting middle schools at 8 a.m. or later and high schools at 8:30 a.m. or later. Some took advantage of last year's scheduling disruptions caused by the shift to virtual learning to usher in the student-centered changes well within the 3-year implementation period.

Across the state and country, school administrators have followed the science and proven that you don't need to harm kids' health to run an efficient school district or to have a thriving sports program.

Teens have suffered enough. Let them sleep. Let them dream.

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Exhausted teens need sleep, later school start times

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Re " New start times for schools this fall would be a disaster "; Commentary, Jan. 25, 2022 As a physician specializing in sleep medicine, and as an advocate for student health, we are concerned that the commentary ignores the key issue of adolescent sleep deprivation and mental health.

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Lawlor is CEO of SleepScore Labs and lives in Carmel Valley. Watson is chair of the SleepScore Labs Scientific Advisory board, is director of the Harborview Medical Center Sleep Clinic and co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center. He lives in Seattle.
A month into many school districts' fall semesters, the understanding of what the full year may look like is still deeply uncertain. States are seeing a steady uptick in COVID-19 cases, mask mandates are being put back on the table, and while the school year has started with in-person education in many districts, we all know it could shift on a dime again.

It's definitely been a challenge for both parents and kids to continually change their schedules and patterns, but with more remote work options and the ever-shifting ground that is "in-person versus remote learning" still ahead of us, why not take advantage of this opportunity to enact a change for the greater health and wellness of our children?

While the case for delaying school start times for kids is nothing new, implementing it continues to challenge many districts across the country. California became the first state to enact a law mandating later school start times in 2019, to begin high school no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle school no earlier than 8 a.m. But statewide policy changes elsewhere have proven nearly impossible to enact, and there are legitimate concerns some parents have about misaligned schedules between work and child care. In California, schools have until July 2022 to comply with the new law. Therefore, the responsibility has landed in the laps of local school districts. Across the nation, there are already several progressive and responsible school districts that are making these changes on behalf of their students - and why wouldn't they?

There is no other single policy change with such tremendous benefits to students than delaying school start times and the time is ripe for lasting policy change that could reap significant health benefits in our children for years to come.

Delaying middle and high school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later would reduce tardiness and school absences, improve adolescent health and psychological well-being, improve adolescent driving safety, reduce risky behaviors and increase graduation rates. This policy measure will also increase job satisfaction for all faculty and staff, which will uplift the educational experience for their students. Sounds too good to be true, but it isn't.

As children progress into their teenage years, they experience delayed patterns of melatonin secretion and a slower buildup of sleep need as they progress through the day. These changes reflect a delayed circadian rhythm that contributes to later sleep onset and later morning awakening, with teenagers typically struggling to fall asleep before 11 p.m.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep eight to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Because sleep onset is not instantaneous, and it is normal to spend some time awake in bed during the sleep period, a teenager who goes to bed at 11 p.m. would need to sleep until 7:30 a.m. or later in order to obtain sufficient sleep. Early middle school and high school start times work contrary to this change in adolescent circadian physiology and truncate students' sleep opportunity, resulting in chronic sleep loss.

Presently, 68.4 percent of U.S. high school students sleep seven hours or less on school nights, which is associated with poor school performance, obesity, metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular morbidity, increased depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, risk-taking behaviors, athletic injuries, and increased motor vehicle accident risk. Motor vehicle crashes account for 35 percent of all deaths and 73 percent of deaths from unintentional injury in teenagers. Delaying adolescent school start times will increase total sleep time and reduce daytime sleepiness. It also increases engagement in classroom activities, reduces first-hour tardiness and absences, and reduces depressive symptoms and irritability. A 60-minute delay in school start times also reduces crash rates by 16.5 percent.

As we continue to grapple with the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the many adjustments it continues to lay in our hands, school districts should look at this as a unique opportunity to enact change which will maximize the educational experience of every student in their district.

Anyone interested in the education, health and well-being of adolescents should support delaying middle and high school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later.

The time has never been more favorable for a shift like this, and if cemented now, can help children succeed in academics and life for years to come.

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Opinion: Delaying school start times literally saves student lives

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Starting middle and high school later reduces absences, improves health and increases graduation rates.

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By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Starting the school day a little later helps middle and high school students get more and better sleep, according to a new study.

The research is based on annual surveys of about 28,000 elementary, middle and high school students and their parents. The surveys were completed before and two years after school start times were changed.

Changes to sleep cycles during puberty make it harder for teens to fall asleep. With early school start times, many don't get enough rest.

In the study, middle schools pushed their start times back by 40 to 60 minutes; and high schools began the day 70 minutes later. Meanwhile, elementary schools started an hour earlier.

Participants were asked about students' typical bedtime and wake time on weekdays and weekends, and also about quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness.

The surveys revealed that the high school students benefited most from starting school later. They were able to get an extra 3.8 hours of sleep a week. More than 10% said they were sleeping better and 20% reported less daytime sleepiness.

Because they were getting more sleep on weeknights, high school students didn't feel as great a need to play catch-up on weekends, the study found. Their additional weekend sleep fell from an average of just over 2 hours to 1.2.

Meanwhile, middle school students reported getting an extra 2.4 hours of sleep a week with a later school start time. They also had a 12% drop in reported daytime sleepiness.

Later start times had no effect on elementary school students, according to findings published April 15 in the journal Sleep. The study was led by Lisa Meltzer, a pediatric psychologist at National Jewish Health in Denver.

Sleep is a key factor in students' overall health, social development and school performance, but lack of sleep is common among children and teens.

Meltzer and her co-authors said the new study offers the strongest evidence to date that moving elementary school start times to 8 a.m. has no negative effect on students.

As students return to in-person learning, it is important for school officials to consider healthy start times for all youngsters, they said.

SOURCE: Sleep, news release, April 15, 2021

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Later School Start Times Mean Better-Rested Kids: Study

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Teens May Do Better When School Starts Later

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Teens aren't wired to wake up so early, so middle and high schools should start later, sleep experts say.

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According to the CDC, roughly three-quarters of public middle and high schools start before 8:30 am. However, traditional school schedules don't account for the natural sleep cycle of children and teens, and 60 percent of children complain of being tired during the school day.

School districts design schedules to fit their budget and do little to benefit students. Starting school later gives students more time to meet their sleep needs, resulting in better grades, moods, health, and more.

1. Improved Academic Performance

A lack of sleep hurts brain function and development, and students who get more sleep have better memory and learning capabilities. They are also less likely to fall asleep during class and more able to process the information they learn. When students are less tired, they can prioritize homework after returning home rather than taking a nap or relaxing.

A 2018 study found that school districts who pushed start times from 7:50 am to 8:45 am had students getting slightly higher grades than they were before the change. Students who sleep enough have improved grades in their first-period core classes, higher graduation rates, and increased standardized test scores.

2. Longer, Better Quality Sleep

With later school start times, students can accommodate their natural sleep-wake times -going to sleep past 11 pm and waking up around 8 or 9 am. Sufficient sleep times give the body more time to repair and restore itself, benefiting the immune system, muscle recovery, athletic performance, and reducing daytime sleepiness.

3. Extra Time For a Healthy Breakfast

When running late in the mornings, breakfast is the first thing we usually skip. However, with this bad habit, students are left hungry, making it difficult for them to concentrate in class. Excessive hunger leads to worsened eating habits, especially because reaching for a bag of chips or a slice of pizza is easier and more appealing than a bowl of fruit or a salad.

With extra time in the morning, students have the opportunity to eat a well-balanced breakfast and can focus on learning rather than their hunger cues.

4. Reduced Risk of Vehicular Accidents

Poor sleep leads to drowsiness and unsafe driving. Drowsiness is the cause of 1 in 10 car accidents every year, and 27 percent of drowsy driving accidents involve teenage drivers. However, students with later school start times have more time to sleep sufficiently and are significantly less likely to be in vehicular accidents.

5. Fewer Behavioral Problems

Teens experience mood swings as a common result of puberty, however, poor sleep habits only worsen their moods and outbursts. Sleep deprivation may cause mood changes including anxiety, stress, irritability, lack of motivation, and depression.

When students sleep enough, their mood is more stable, positive, and they're at a decreased risk of developing depressive symptoms. For parents, children who sleep enough are generally easier to live with.

6. Better Physical Health

Students with later school start times are more likely to have improved physical health and weight control, decreasing their likelihood of developing diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.

By sleeping adequately, students' bodies have enough time to repair and heal at night. Students who sleep well have more energy to exercise and choose healthier food options, while sleep-deprived students overeat and rely on caffeine to make up for the lack of sleep.

7. Minimized Tardiness and Truancy

Exhausted students may skip school to sleep more, but if altered school schedules permitted them to sleep longer, they'd be less likely to be truant or tardy.

A 2016 study looked at eight high schools that delayed their school times from 7:20 am to 8:35 and 8:55 am. They found a significant decrease in truancy and tardiness, with one of the schools citing a 66 percent decrease in tardiness.

Why Adolescents Lack Quality Sleep

Teens should get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night and elementary schoolers need at least 9 to 11 hours per night. However, adolescents typically get about 7 hours of sleep per night, resulting in psychological, educational, and physical drawbacks.

Delayed Circadian Rhythm

Adolescents experience a sleep-phase delay, meaning their sleep is delayed by two or more hours from conventional sleep times, thus making it difficult to wake up at a conventional time. Teens and older adolescents, in particular, have a later melatonin release and shut off, and typically go to sleep at 11 pm or later.

As a result, most teens feel wide awake when they're supposed to be sleeping, but still have to wake up at 6 or 7 am, leaving them tired all day.

Stress Levels Are Elevated

An increasing number of students are pressured to participate in extracurricular activities to impress colleges, though this takes up a majority of their free time. With extracurricular activities or jobs, students have less time to focus on homework, so they can be up late completing projects or studying for tests. The stress from work and extracurriculars can also leave students wired for hours, making it difficult for them to sleep.

What's Stopping A Later School Schedule?

While starting school later is seemingly beneficial for young people, it's reasonable to wonder why so few school districts have implemented these changes. Despite the benefits of a later school schedule, other factors prevent it from becoming a more mainstream practice.

Parents' Work Schedules

A later school schedule clashes with the average parent's work schedule, so some parents might be unable to drop off their young children at school or stand at the bus stop with them. If parents have older teens, their younger siblings are left under their care, but then the teens themselves would have little help starting their mornings and getting to school.

Changing School Schedules Requires Community Input

Parents, teachers, school boards, and government officials are just a few of the individuals involved in shifting school times. School schedules impact the entire community, so leaders need to find a common ground beneficial to everyone, and this takes time and resources some communities might not have.

Transportation Costs

Scheduling for buses can become quite difficult if schools start later because school districts typically reuse the same buses for their elementary, middle, and high schools. If buses started traveling during rush hours, student pick-ups and drop-offs would take longer and bus drivers might be unable to get from one school to the next.

School districts would need to hire more bus drivers or further disperse school start times to complete their routes. However, even later start times might not align with students' and parents' schedules.

Extracurriculars and Jobs

An early start and end time for schools gives students time to go to work and participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, or internships.

For students who need a job to support themselves or their families, a later start time would inhibit their ability to work as much and earn money. And, if they continued to work despite a later start and end time, they'd have less time to complete homework afterward.

Additionally, later start and end times would push back extracurricular activities, so students would have less time to focus on homework, prioritize their social lives, and sleep well. It's unlikely students would drop their extracurriculars, especially as there's an increasing amount of pressure for students to add them to their resume.

FAQs

What is the average time students wake up for school?

The average start time for schools is 8:30 am, though some start as early as 7 am, and most students wake up roughly 30 minutes to an hour before school. Students who take the bus need to wake up a bit earlier, however, to reach their bus on time.

Should I sacrifice sleep to study?

For some, staying up late or skipping sleep entirely to study for a test or get homework done seems like a good idea, but it's harmful in the long run. Students who stay up late completing work are more likely to struggle academically the following day, regardless of the time spent studying.

Build a schedule where you can study sufficiently, but still get sufficient sleep for your age. While you shouldn't study less, it's more important to prioritize getting quality sleep than staying up to study.

How can I help my child sleep better?

As a parent, it's stressful watching your child's health suffer as a result of poor sleep. You can help them by teaching them the importance of sleep hygiene (habits to foster healthy sleep), limiting their electronics usage before bed, setting a bedtime, and incorporating sleep-inducing foods to dinnertime.

Do students get too much homework?

The National Education Association suggests students should do roughly 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level. For example, a sixth-grader should have no more than 60 minutes of homework per night. However, teens typically do over three hours of homework per night, especially if they're in advanced or college prep classes.

More than two hours of homework per night does little to benefit grades, and the stress and time leave students awake much later than they should be.

Do teachers benefit from starting school later?

Starting school later mainly prioritizes students, however, it's potentially less stressful for teachers as well. By having more time to sleep, teachers can improve their health and quality of life just as much as students.

Conclusion

Given the information researchers have, students' academic performance and overall health are directly linked to their sleep quality. Starting school later requires gradual change since many variables impact typical school schedules, including extracurriculars, student jobs, and parents' work schedules. In the meantime, students should learn the value of prioritizing sleep, and parents should reach out to school officials and urge for later school times.

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7 Benefits to Starting School Later - Sleep Junkie

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According to the CDC, roughly three-quarters of public middle and high schools start before 8:30 am. However, traditional school schedules don't account for the natural sleep cycle of children and teens, and 60 percent of children complain of being tired during the school day.

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Teens get more sleep, show improved grades and attendance with later school start time, researchers find

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In 2016, Seattle Public Schools pushed back the start times for the district’s 18 high schools by 55 minutes, from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. And as hoped, teenagers used the extra time to sleep in.

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In the United States, the average 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 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 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 . 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.

National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. Higher risk of athletic injury 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.

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. Better student grades View Source .

Fewer occurrences of falling asleep in class.

Reduced irritability and depressive symptoms.

Fewer disciplinary issues.

16.5% decrease in the teenage crash rate National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. A decline of motor vehicle crashes. One study showed a 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.

Learn more about our Editorial Team

References

1. 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.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25979105/

2. 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.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6703a1.htm?s_cid=mm6703a1_w

3. Sawyer, H., Taie, S., & Westat. (2020, February). Start Time for U.S. Public High Schools. The Institute of Education Sciences.
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020006/index.asp

4. 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.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a1.htm

5. Adolescent Sleep Working Group; Committee on Adolescence; Council on School Health. School start times for adolescents. Pediatrics. 2014 Sep;134(3):642-9.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25156998/

6. 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.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27040474/

7. 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.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28416043/

8. The American Psychological Association. (2014). Later School Start Times Promote Adolescent Well-Being., Retrieved January 26, 2021 from
https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-start-times.pdf

9. 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.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19110880/

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How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep? | Sleep Foundation

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Experts recommend middle and high schools begin no sooner than 8:30 a.m. Later school start times will increase adolescent sleep and improve their performance.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Learn how later school start times may help adolescents get sleep.

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Teens don’t get enough sleep, and it’s not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones -- it’s because of public policy, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, clinician and mother of a teenager, Troxel discusses how early school start times deprive adolescents of sl…

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If you've ever had trouble getting your teen up in the morning or you've seen teens fall asleep during the school day, you're not alone. Many adolescents struggle to wake up early for school. It's sparked a discussion about the pros and cons of starting school at a later time.

While some people may think that teens are just lazy for not getting up early, doctors say that's not actually the case. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has urged school districts to consider later start times so that adolescents can get adequate sleep. Still, many districts have said that changing the time school starts just isn't feasible.

What Physicians Say

The AAP's Adolescent Sleep Working Group reviewed studies involving inadequate sleep in teens. Researchers analyzed the harmful effects sleep deprivation-anything less than 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep on school nights-can have on young people.

They concluded that poor sleep is linked to increased reliance on caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol. They also discovered a link between sleep deprivation and poor academic performance. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to an increased risk of car accidents in teens.

It may seem as though the solution would be for teens to simply go to sleep earlier. But researchers say that it isn't likely to work. Teens experience hormonal shifts that make falling asleep earlier difficult, if not impossible. Their biological clocks simply won't allow them to fall asleep before 11 p.m., even when they're tired.

Studies show that simply delaying school by 30 minutes can have a dramatic impact on teens' health and performance. So most researchers recommend school start times be delayed until at least 8:30 a.m. for teenagers. Benefits of delayed school start times include:

More sleep: Teens may be more likely to get the recommended amount of sleep.

Better sleep: Delayed start time could help teens sleep during their natural sleep/wake cycles.

Less caffeine: Teens may be less likely to depend on caffeine to stay awake during the day.

Better grades: Adequate sleep could help teens be more alert during the school day, which could boost their academic performance.

Better health: Sleeping longer could reduce health-related issues that accompany sleep deprivation.

Better choices: Getting home later in the afternoon (if school is shifted forward) may reduce the amount of time some teens are home alone, and could decrease the likelihood they will engage in unhealthy activities.

What School Districts Say

Despite the recommendation from the AAP, the majority of school districts aren't planning to change their start times. School officials often cite logistical concerns about starting the school day later.

Delaying high school start times could pose problems with bus schedules, after-school activities, and sporting events for the entire district. Changing the high school start time could have a domino effect on all the schools that could pose a logistical nightmare.﻿﻿

Critics also note that a later dismissal time for teens would pose problems for those who must provide childcare to younger siblings. Students who participate in sports and extra-curricular activities would get home later in the evenings. And teens might stay up even later if they don't have to wake for school at an earlier time.

What Parents Can Do

No matter what time your teen's school starts, it's important to support your teen by making sure they're getting enough high-quality sleep. Teach your teen about appropriate sleep hygiene and talk about the benefits of sleep.

While you can't force your teen to fall asleep at a certain time, you can establish a "lights out rule." Take away electronics at least 60 minutes before bedtime and encourage your teen to read quietly in their room to help them get ready for bed.

Most teens like to sleep late on the weekends or during school vacations. However, sleeping in can throw off your teen's natural sleep/wake cycle. Keep your teen on a consistent schedule even on weekends and school vacations.

If you feel strongly that your child's health and academic life are being disrupted by a lack of sleep, be an advocate for your child. Share your concerns with school officials. Attend school board meetings and discuss this issue with other parents. You may be able to gain enough support to create change.

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Should High Schools Start Later so Teens Can Get More Sleep?

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If you've ever had trouble getting your teen up in the morning or you've seen teens fall asleep during the school day, you're not alone. Many adolescents struggle to wake up early for school. It's sparked a discussion about the pros and cons of starting school at a later time.