Why Teens Need, Want, and Should Receive Later School Start Times

Let’s face it; we all hate waking up at the crack of dawn each and every morning to go to school. Whether it’s sports, an overload of homework, or extracurricular activities, there’s always something keeping us from getting to bed on time. While teens are advised to get at least eight and a half hours of sleep every night, most adolescents receive significantly less due to the extremely early starts of many middle schools and high schools. The simple solution: later school start times.

It’s not just drowsiness that will be solved by pushing back the first bell.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Other benefits of later start times include: Improved attendance at school, decreased tardiness, reduced irritability and depressive symptoms, fewer disciplinary issues [and a] decline of motor vehicle crashes.” What educator does not want to see these things? 

Although there are many positives, there are some downfalls to beginning the school day at a later hour. Some might argue that keeping early start times can allow for more productivity in the afternoons, and it provides a better chance for students to participate in activities. However, when students are better rested, they are much more likely to have a productive afternoon rather than being overly worn out after a long school day.

You might be wondering, how do we know that it is really worth it? Well, a study was done in Seattle to determine this. After changing the 7:50 start time to 8:45, multiple high schools and middle schools saw a successful outcome. Horacio de la Iglesia, a researcher and biology professor from the University of Washington, spoke about the results: “This study shows a significant improvement in the sleep duration of students, all by delaying school start times so they're more in line with the natural wake-up times of adolescents.” 

We all can agree that not getting enough sleep can be a drag. But, if we are able to make the switch to later start times, we will see a large difference in our peers’ emotional, physical, and overall well-being. 

Works Cited

“How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep?” Sleep Foundation, 5 Feb. 2021, www.sleepfoundation.org/school-and-sleep/later-school-start-times.

Neighmond, Patti. “Sleepless No More In Seattle - Later 

School Start Time Pays Off For Teens.” NPR, NPR, 12 Dec. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/health-

  shots/2018/12/12/676118782/sleepless-no-more-in- seattle-later-school-start-time-pays-off-for-teens.