Should School Start Later?

Experts agree: Most teens don’t get enough sleep. Is starting the school day later the solution?

May 2023

You hit the snooze button one too many times and now there’s no way you’ll be on time for first period. As you dash out the door, hoping your teacher will let you in, you sigh, “If only school started later.” Most high schools in the U.S. start at 8 a.m. or earlier, but many pediatricians believe schools should start later. Advocates say later start times would allow teens to sleep more, which would benefit their health and academic performance. And some states, like California, have already implemented 8:30 a.m. start times. But opponents worry that since later start times will mean later dismissals, students may not get home until well after dark. What do you think?

Yes

School needs to start later in the morning. As someone who constantly struggles to make it to school on time, I often wake up feeling stressed and worn down. The main reason is lack of sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, but most of us don’t get this much rest. We often stay up late at night because of homework, extracurriculars, or just poor time management. In addition, because of physical changes during puberty, it's often harder for us to fall asleep before 11 p.m. Pushing back the time school starts would help us get more sleep, which would benefit our physical and mental health. As a result, we’d be better able to succeed both in and outside of school.

—Luca Bernstein, New York

No

As much as I'd like to get more sleep, later school start times are a bad idea. For one thing, they would negatively impact students with extracurricular activities. Student athletes already often don’t get home until late in the evening. Later school times would mean practices and games could last well into the night. Additionally, delaying the start of the school day could make it difficult for some parents and guardians to get to work on time. For many adults, the workday starts at 9 a.m., if not earlier. Parents who need to be at their jobs early might have to cut back their hours or even hire someone to make sure their kids get to school on time. Later start times could pose challenges for many working families. Getting up early for school is a drag, but it’s the best option.

—Felix Chen, California