Why School Should Start Later

Over the past 25 years, over 500 school districts throughout the United States have pushed back their start times. This is because decades of research have shown that more sleep leads to better grades and overall a better education. Teens experience a shift in their circadian rhythm, making them want to stay up later and wake up later. The recommended amount of sleep for teens is eight to ten hours a day, but because of the early start times in schools and the biological tendencies of teens to stay up late, this recommendation is nearly impossible to reach. 

One major reason schools won't make the switch is because the scheduling changes that would come with it could be problematic. If high schools wanted to start later, it could also change the bussing scheduling for the elementary and middle schools, forcing them to start even later. This could lead to parents who have early work having childcare conflicts. Another issue would be that after school activities would be pushed back as well. Students wouldn't get home until even later than usual, giving them less downtime with their families. Even though science shows that sleeping in would greatly benefit teens, adjusting school start times to give teens more sleep would be very difficult to actually accomplish.