Every weekday morning, millions of students go to school early, feeling tired. Maybe you’re one of them. Whether schools should start later has become a big topic of debate among students, teachers, and parents. This idea has been discussed for years, with research favoring no particular side.
Let’s first get into the perspective of those who support later school start times. The main argument that they make is that earlier start times in the morning cause chronic sleep deprivation and harm to sleep cycles. The American Academy of Pediatrics found that 87% of high school students in the US were not getting the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep. Later start times would help students get more sleep and consequently become more productive and healthier. “I wish school started at P2,” a tired BISV student commented. Researchers at the University of Washington looked at two Seattle public schools that had moved their start times to an hour later. They found that students’ final grades in biology increased by 4.5%. Proponents also argue that these early start times aren’t consistent with most jobs, which would make it difficult for recent graduates to adapt to their working schedule.
Critics of this idea argue that it would inconvenience many working parents, who would have to arrive late to work to drop off their children. This could put their jobs at risk, especially for low-income families. Later start times could also affect students’ after-school activities. Earlier school times allow for more time for extracurriculars, and changing them would give students less time to do the things they enjoy. Critics also argue that it would increase transportation costs. A study conducted by the Greenwich School District found that later school times increased the number of buses each district required, increasing costs by 2.9%. An uptick in transportation costs could lead to less funding for other programs and higher student fees. They also argued that later school times wouldn’t necessarily help students get more sleep. Later start times would lead to later end times, giving students less time to do homework and more time to procrastinate. “I think I would just procrastinate more,” said a BISV student
So, would moving the school start time back actually benefit students and parents? California passed SB 328 in 2019, which mandated later start times for most schools. The California School Boards Association conducted a study on students affected after this law was passed, and the negative effects were consistent with people’s concerns: decreased time for extracurriculars, increased transportation costs, and inconveniences to working parents. However, this law was criticized for being poorly executed, and many of these problems could potentially be fixed. Students also generally performed better and had fewer discipline issues. They studied students’ grades in a biology course and found that they increased by an average of 4 percent.
As the school system becomes increasingly important and rigorous, school start times become more and more important. Pushing back start times seems to benefit students’ health, but they also come with problems like increased transportation costs. Determining the ideal times requires careful consideration of every factor, and the solution must be flexible.
Sources:
Townsend, A. “Waking up to Reality.” BMJ, vol. 346, no. apr24 11, 24 Apr. 2013, pp. f2482–f2482, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f2482.
Heubeck, Elizabeth. “What’s Stopping Later School Start Times That Support Teen Sleep? Bus Schedules, for One.” Education Week, 28 Sept. 2023, www.edweek.org/leadership/whats-stopping-later-school-start-times-that-support-teen-sleep-bus-schedules-for-one/2023/09.
Caesar, Julio, et al. “Changes in School Start Time Have a Significant Effect in the Amount of Sleep and Reported Grade Point Average of Students.” Umn.edu, 2021, conservancy.umn.edu/items/8f3aab08-23b2-477b-a0bc-2f9d1d33d255.
