Moving School Start Times to Help Teens Get More Sleep

This post was co-authored by Jessica Leigh Hamilton, Ph.D. and Ryan Shintani.

“I wake up and feel the warm glow of the sun shining bright on my face. Is it the weekend already? No! It’s 7:30 am on a Tuesday and time to get ready for school. Last year, when I woke up for school, it was 6:30 am–dark and desolate outside. But now that my school’s start time has been pushed back an hour, I get an extra hour of sleep. I wake up with the sun already out, something that I haven’t seen in an early school morning for as long as I can remember. The predawn darkness had always made me feel groggy, tired, and just a bit depressed. Since our school district moved back start times for our high school this year, I feel so much more energetic when I wake up in the morning. That extra hour of sleep, in combination with the sunlight, gives me the pep I need to start my day (and my parents love the extra hour in the morning too).” —Ryan, age 15, high-school sophomore

Getting adequate sleep (at least 8 hours per night for teens) has known benefits for physical and mental health and academic performance. So shouldn’t more schools shift their school start times to be aligned with teens’ natural biological clocks? Is it really necessary for kids to wake up in the cold, dark predawn hours during their biological night to go to school? The research shows that there are a lot of benefits in a later start day and very few to an earlier one. So why don’t more schools make this change?

The reality is that every school district is different and faces a myriad of perceived barriers to implementing later school start times. But, the truth is, if we really care about curbing the teen mental health crisis, perhaps we should be spending more time and energy on addressing these perceived barriers to ensure that kids get more sleep instead of the current focus on banning social media. (Note: My research focuses on social media, sleep, and suicide risk; see here for brief summary).

So what are the perceived barriers and how can we overcome them to do what’s best for teens?

Perceived Barrier 1: If we move school start times later, teens will just stay up later.

Fact: If we move school start times, teens will actually get more sleep.

I hear this one a lot from parents and educators. If teens know they can wake up later, won’t they just go to bed later? In short, the research says NO. Teens will actually go to bed around similar times, get better-quality sleep, and get at least 30 minutes more sleep per night, which has major benefits at this age.

Perceived Barrier 2: If we move school start times later, this will mess up scheduling of other activities.

Fact: If we move school start times later, schools can still accommodate extracurricular activities and after-school activities are minimally impacted.

This is a major concern we hear: “But what about the athletes? How can they still compete if they get out later? If kids get out of school later, how will they eat dinner and do homework within reasonable times?” These are reasonable concerns; our kids do a lot after school and we don’t want them getting home at 10 pm every night. However, Ryan’s school managed this by making classes a bit shorter than before, and they only finish school about 20 minutes later than before the later school start times. Teens are still learning and afterschool activities do not have to be impacted.

Perceived Barrier 3: If we move school start times later, transportation needs to be completely revamped.

Fact: If we move school start times later, transportation can be adjusted with other school start times, pending district needs.

While there might be concerns about an increased number of buses and drivers needed at peak times, the total number of buses and bus drivers will not necessarily need to change. In fact, transportation costs can actually decrease. And superintendents who have made the change to later school start times have said that it made their transportation function better than in prior years, due to the shorter school day and more time in between routes. (See here for their testimonial.)

Perceived Barrier 4: If we move school start times later, teacher contracts will need to be adjusted.

Fact: If we move school start times later, teacher contracts and schedules can be minimally impacted.

As noted, Ryan’s school shortened each class and the school day ended just 20 minutes later than usual. This change in schedule actually led to a net decrease in the total number of hours in school, so teacher contracts can remain unaffected. Furthermore, many teachers support the later school start times for both their students’ and their own health and wellness.

Perceived Barrier 5: If we move school start times later, students will get used to sleeping in and won’t be ready for the real world.

Fact: If we move school start times later, students’ sleep will be aligned with their circadian rhythms, improving their attendance and graduation rates.

Compared to adults, adolescent physiology makes them fall asleep later. Specifically, melatonin release from the brain starts later in the day for teens, making it harder to fall asleep earlier (and therefore sleep long enough at night). In order for children to succeed as working professionals, they have to first succeed in school, and later school start times help them do that. When they get older, in their 20s, their circadian rhythms begin to resemble that of a typical adult, which will be better aligned with a work schedule.

In short, the research is clear: Moving school start times benefits teens. They get more sleep, feel better, drive better—they have fewer accidents, and perform better in school and in sports. Are there challenges to implementing later school start times? Sure. But should these stand in the way of doing what’s best for our kids? Absolutely not.

To get started on making these changes:

• Learn more about the importance of sleep for teens. Get the data you need to back it up; for example, watch videos to learn more about the importance of sleep, myths about teen sleep, and why all teens can’t just “go to bed early“). Also, check out our research-backed blog on why sleep matters.
• Organize groups in your community with interested parents (and teens).
• Go to your local school board meeting to discuss the issue (which may help with step 2) and watch this video to hear from schools who made the change.
• Involve researchers and pediatricians on these topics to offer support and resources.
• Support and discuss the current legislation to move school start times later in your area. (See this example from New Jersey.)

Together, we can make sleep a priority for teens—and hopefully adults, too.