Like many families across the nation, mornings in our household can be a whirlwind of activity. We scramble to pack lunches, search for missing shoes, and navigate the usual morning grumpiness. Luckily, my children don’t have to be at school until 9 a.m., which means our hectic mornings aren’t compounded by an absurdly early start time. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many families — my niece’s elementary school begins at 7:45 a.m., and countless middle and high schools across the country kick off before 8 a.m. As a result, many students are leaving home before 7 a.m. — often rising before the sun itself. This is far too early, especially for adolescents.
Concerns about early school start times extend beyond parents’ frustrations. For years, sleep researchers and health professionals have warned that requiring teenagers to wake before dawn is detrimental to their well-being and counterproductive to their education. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens need between 8 to 10 hours of sleep nightly. However, due to their unique biological clocks, they struggle to fall asleep early, leading to a chronic sleep deficit as they age. This pattern leaves tweens and teens in a relentless state of fatigue.
The impact of this fatigue is not just a health issue; it also affects academic performance. Studies indicate that shifting school start times to later in the morning has resulted in improved attendance, higher test scores, and better grades across various subjects. Schools that have adjusted their schedules report reductions in tardiness, substance abuse, and depressive symptoms among students. Some have even noted a significant drop in teenage traffic accidents.
Health professionals have long advocated for policy changes regarding school start times. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for later start times, followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, emphasizing the importance of adequate sleep for the physical and educational development of adolescents. The evidence supporting this shift is becoming increasingly compelling. Recently, the American Medical Association also recommended later start times for teenagers. Earlier this year, a position statement in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine highlighted the advantages of this change.
“Early school start times hinder adolescents from obtaining sufficient sleep, leading to a range of issues, including poor academic performance and heightened risks of accidents,” stated Dr. Robert Henderson, the report’s lead author.
In late April, the non-profit organization Start School Later convened a conference in Washington, D.C., bringing together distinguished sleep experts, educators, and policymakers dedicated to advocating for the importance of sleep. The consensus was clear: changes need to occur at both the district and state levels. Parents must raise their voices, and school boards and legislators must respond.
Admittedly, implementing change can be challenging. There will always be those resistant to altering the status quo, but just because “it’s always been done this way” does not mean it is the best approach for our children. As our understanding evolves, so too should our practices.
Fortunately, several school districts are beginning to recognize the negative consequences of early start times. My own local district in suburban Chicago recently approved a two-year pilot program to shift the school day from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. to a new start time of 8:15 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. — a positive step toward prioritizing students’ well-being by adjusting class periods and lunch times slightly.
Change may be difficult, but it is certainly achievable. If these adjustments will enhance our children’s physical, emotional, and educational health, why not embrace them? Hats off to my local district for taking the health of our youth seriously, and to other schools nationwide making similar strides. With persistent advocacy from parents, medical professionals, and community leaders, hopefully, more schools will start to place a greater emphasis on the sleep needs of teens.
Now if only we could persuade employers to recognize the importance of sleep too.
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