Four Reasons to Start School Later
This fall, California became the first state to mandate later school start times for middle and high schoolers, a move cheered by sleep and parenting experts, according to U.S. News & World Report. Middle schools are required to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools not before 8:30 a.m. The move follows recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
The AAP has called the chronic sleep deprivation of U.S. teens an “important public health issue.” It recommends 8-10 hours of sleep a night for adolescents, but few get it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 60% of middle schoolers and over 70% of high schoolers do not get enough sleep on school nights.
Why don’t teens get enough sleep?
Setting aside the schedule demands of academics and extracurriculars and the lure of smart phones, teen brains are wired to go to bed and wake up later. Biologically, at puberty, adolescents experience a circadian rhythm shift of up to 2 hours. The sleep hormone melatonin is released later in the day, making it difficult for teens to fall asleep early. According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, “On a practical level, this research indicates that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 p.m. and is best suited to wake at 8:00 a.m. or later.”
However, as of 2017, the average start time for public high schools was 8 a.m. nationally, with 10% of schools starting before 7:30. Medical experts uniformly recommend starting school later. Why fight science?
Delayed school start times lead to four key benefits:
Better mental and physical health
When teens get the sleep they need, physical and mental health improve. According to a study by the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota, teens who reported they got at least eight hours of sleep a night “were more likely to say they have good overall health and less likely to report being depressed or using caffeine and other substances.”
Improved academic outcomes
A study by the National Sleep Foundation found that attendance and graduation rates “significantly improved” in schools that started at 8:30 a.m. or later.
Economics professor Finley Edwards studied North Carolina middle schools and found that delaying start times by an hour would raise “test scores an average of 2 percentile points in math and 1.5 points in English,” with even greater effects on lower-performing students.
Another study used Edwards’ methodology, extrapolating it to a national scale. The authors estimated that 8th grade math test scores might rise as much as 8 points, equivalent to nearly a full grade level increase.
Reduced risk of car accidents and injuries
Sleep deprivation is dangerous, and multiple studies have shown that delayed school start times lead to significant drops in teen car crash and distracted driving rates.
Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist and clinical associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, notes that delayed school start times lead to a decrease in sports-related injuries.
Less tardiness
Finally, later school start times help students arrive on time and ready to learn. Joy Wake, advocacy director for Start School Later notes, “Repeated studies show that starting secondary schools at 8:30 a.m. or later significantly boosts on-time attendance,” especially for financially disadvantaged students who face greater obstacles in getting enough sleep and getting to school on time.
Sleep advocates uniformly recommend later school start times. While California is leading the way, states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts may be poised to follow suit.
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Durrani, Anayat. “4 Benefits of Later School Start Times.” U.S. News & World Report, 26 Aug 2022, https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/benefits-of-later-school-start-times?utm_source=usn_tw&utm_campaign=tw_edu.