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Chris Imes
Ms. DeBock
English IV
March 16th, 2015
Later School Start Time
Most schools throughout the nation have really early start times ranging anywhere from
7:00-8:30 in the morning. For those in elementary school, this is not too bad as most children in
their younger ages naturally go to sleep early in the day, providing them more hours for sleep.
But for most pre-teens-teens in middle and high schools, their natural sleep times tend to be later
in the night, causing them to typically have a lack of sleep on a normal school day which is
unsafe and unhealthy. High schools should have a later start time in the morning because later
start times improve students academically, healthily, and reduce the number of teen car accidents.
Firstly, studies show that schools that have changed to have a later start time had
significantly increased student test scores and academic performance. The school in this study
had moved their starting time back to 8:55 in the morning as opposed to their regular 7:30 start
time. After this change occurred, there first was improvement in student test scores (Study:
Later School Starts Improve Student Grades). Shortly after this changed, students showed
improvement in academic performance in the areas of English, math, science, and social studies
(Study: Later School Starts Improve Student Grades). Schools with later start times show to
have better student performance overall then schools with early start times.
Secondly, studies show that schools with later start times improve students health,
providing them the recommended amount of sleep they should obtain. The recommended hours
of sleep that a teen should obtain daily ranges from 8.5-9.5 hours per night. While this amount is

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less than what most children need, studies show that teens do not start feeling sleepy until later at
night and do not want to get up until later in the day due to having high melatonin levels (Bratsis
12). The AAP recommends that schools should start class at least 8:30 in the morning for teens to
get the recommended amount of sleep, which only 15% of schools in the country start at this
time or later (Bratsis 12). Sleep loss is one the most common issues dealing with children and
teens in our country today but yet it is one of the most fixable out of all the problems that our
youth face.
Lastly, studies show that schools with later start times have reduced the amount of teen
car accidents. When a school in Kentucky started having school start one hour later, students
were shown to gain more sleep, causing the amount of teen car accidents to drop (Later Teen
School Day, Fewer Car Accidents). The percentage of accidents dropped by 16.5 percent when
this change occurred (Later Teen School Day, Fewer Car Accidents). It is important to note
that while this percentage went down in the county that the change took place, the percentage of
teen car accidents went up in the rest of the state (Later Teen School Day, Fewer Car
Accidents).
High schools should have a later start time in the morning because later start times
improve students academically, healthily, and reduce the number of teen car accidents. Early start
times in schools have often made learning difficult for students due to an unhealthy lack of sleep.
Students are often told time and time again that they should focus hard on their education as that
is what will make them succeed in life. If this is statement is true, then students should be
provided with the later start time to help further improve their academic ability.
Works Cited

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Bratsis, Michael E., The Scientific Case For Starting High School Later." Science Teacher81.9
(2014): 12-13. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"Later Teen School Day, Fewer Car Accidents." UPI NewsTrack 2008: Biography in Context.
Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
"Study: Later School Starts Improve Student Grades." AP Regional State Report Colorado(2014): Points of View Reference Center. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.