Changing School Start Times
Delay school start times to improve student health, safety, and academic achievement
Districts choose to change school start times for a variety of reasons—the most common reasons we found were to support students and improve district transportation. All districts profiled for this report changed school start times to improve student health and academics. Two profiled districts also changed start times to improve the efficiency of transportation systems.
This report examines how to implement a change in school start time, and what effects a stakeholders experience from a change in start time. Explore district motivations for changing school start times, the implementation process of a new start time, and methods of feedback and assessment to evaluate the impact of a change in start times.
Motivations to change start times
Research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that insufficient sleep is the most common health risk among children. The research notes that lack of sleep is most common among high-school students due to a shift in their sleep-wake cycle. Specifically, the research finds that 28% of students report falling asleep during school at least once per week, which impacts students’ academic performance. Lack of sleep also affects self-regulation, attention, memory, behavior control, and executive function—all skills students require to perform well in school and succeed in life.
To increase student sleep, research suggests schools delay start times. The average high school in America starts at 8:03 am, while research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests schools start no earlier than 8:30 am. Delaying school start times by as little as 30 minutes correlates with improvements in student mood and behavior, increases in attendance, increases in graduation rates, improved academic performance, and fewer motor vehicle crashes.
District transportation systems also benefit from delayed start times. Fewer bus drivers results in longer bus routes, which increase travel times and tardiness. Funding cuts compound this problem because they inhibit districts’ capacity to hire bus drivers and purchase and maintain buses. While funding for districts varies by state and locality, 2015 census data shows that 29 states allocate less money per student in 2015 than in 2008. Further, in 19 states local government funding for education decreased during the same period.
Implementation processes
Contacts at District B and District C emphasize that early involvement and communication with stakeholders regarding a change in start times contributed to the successful implementation of new start times. Contacts note that districts’ willingness to involve parents, community members, and staff in the planning and decision-making process reduced pushback during the implementation of new start times. Contacts note that while some pushback is inevitable, they recommend districts involve and communicate with stakeholders during the process to determine changes to start times to minimize complaints.
Example methods to involve stakeholders in decisions to change start times
Town hall meetings
The superintendent and other senior district administrators hold meetings in high schools to communicate about the decision-making process and obtain feedback from parents
Open-comment board meetings
The school board includes time on their agenda for parents and community members to comment on proposed time changes
Advisory councils
Senior administrators meet with student, parent, and athletics advisory councils to obtain input on proposed time changes
Community events
The superintendent, board members, and senior district administrators attend community events, such as Rotary Club meetings, to obtain input
School improvement councils
Principals meet with their school’s improvement councils to obtain teacher and staff feedback
Targeted group meetings
The superintendent or senior district administrators host meetings with groups of community stakeholders (e.g., childcare provider, local businesses that employs high school students) to obtain feedback
Feedback and assessment
Contacts at three of the four profiled districts note that stakeholders appear pleased with the change in start times. However, contacts at District A state that due to increased dissatisfaction from elementary school parents, district administrators are reconsidering the later start time for high school students. Contacts state that the volume of concerns from elementary school parents increased significantly since they implemented new start times.
District A, District B, and District D track student achievement, attendance, tardiness, and behavioral data to assess how the change in start times affects students. While no profiled district finds that the change improves academic achievement, data collected at District A, District B, and District D display some potential effects in other areas. Overall, these districts’ preliminary findings suggest the change in start times positively affects high school students but may negatively impact elementary school students’ attendance and behavior.
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