The question of the ideal school start time has been a topic of discussion for quite some time. While it’s generally accepted that younger children benefit from longer sleep and later start times, what about our adolescents in middle and high school? A recent study suggests that pushing back school start times to after 8:30 a.m. offers significant advantages—not just for the mental and physical health of our teenagers, but also for the economy as a whole.
A common argument for maintaining early start times revolves around logistics; many schools share bus services across different grade levels, necessitating staggered schedules. However, what are the costs associated with forcing teenagers out of bed before dawn to engage in learning while they’re still groggy?
Wendy Troxel, a study co-author, explained to the Chicago Tribune, “The substantial economic benefits from simply moving school start times to 8:30 a.m. would be realized within a few years, creating a win-win situation for adolescent public health and doing so cost-effectively.” The Tribune notes that the potential nationwide benefits—including improved academic performance and reduced car accident rates—could amount to an astounding $9.3 billion annually.
A comprehensive study by the RAND Corporation indicates that adjusting middle school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later could contribute $83 billion to the U.S. economy over the next decade. This increase not only translates into higher academic achievement for students (which can lead to greater lifetime earnings) but also fewer accidents due to sleep deprivation.
So, why haven’t we made this change yet? Implementing new start times would indeed incur additional costs for school districts, including revised bus schedules and infrastructure adjustments such as outdoor lighting for after-school activities. Nonetheless, the advantages of providing our children with more sleep far outweigh these expenses.
Take, for instance, my own experiences. My son, who is in middle school, boards the bus by 6:40 a.m. and wakes up at 6 a.m. He balances school with hockey practice, often finishing late at night. As a result, he averages only seven hours of sleep on school nights, leading to a cranky child who struggles to focus.
Teenagers, by nature, tend to go to bed late and prefer to sleep in. My high school daughter, who doesn’t have late sports, still gets on the bus at 7:30 a.m. and faces similar sleep deprivation challenges, despite my efforts to enforce an earlier bedtime.
Some may argue that delaying school start times will merely encourage teens to stay up later. However, research supports the opposite: a systematic review published last year revealed that delaying school start times by 25 to 60 minutes resulted in an increase in sleep duration of 25 to 77 minutes per night. This indicates that students tend to maintain their bedtime regardless of the wake-up time, allowing them to catch up on much-needed rest.
The issue of school start times is widespread. It’s clear that our children are often exhausted, over-scheduled, and in desperate need of more sleep. Although implementing this kind of policy change would require significant effort, the findings from various studies suggest that adjusting school start times could significantly alleviate some of these issues. For further insights on related topics, check out this article on home insemination.
In summary, shifting school start times to later in the morning offers vast benefits, not only for the health and academic performance of teenagers but also for the economy. Despite the costs associated with such changes, the long-term advantages far outweigh them, making it a change worth pursuing.