Later start times for school provide several benefits to students.

I. INTRODUCTION
Later start times for school provides several benefits to students as it enhances student’s
sleep patterns, improves school attendance and helps in academic performance.

II. BODY
A. First and foremost, later start times for school provide benefits as it enhances
student’s sleep patterns.
1. This would enable them to walk into class more alert and more prepared for
learning.
a. After the start times were shifted nearly an hour later, the students’ nightly
sleep duration rose to an average of 34 minutes, according to Watsons (2018).
b. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 2021 suggests that teenagers
aged 13 to 18 should aim to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night for optimal
health.

2. Align better with teenagers’ natural sleep patterns as it can counteract the negative
effects of sleep deprivation.
a. Teenagers often have a natural inclination to stay awake later into the night,
making it challenging for them to fall asleep early and achieve the
recommended amount of sleep.
b. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), a
significant proportion of middle and high school students in the United States
fail to attain the recommended sleep duration, with nearly 60% of middle
schoolers and over 70% of high schoolers facing sleep deprivation on school
nights.
B. Secondly, later start times for school provide benefits to students as it could improve
school attendance.
1. School start times have the largest impact on students from low-income families
and that they are most likely to be affected by the disruption of later start times.
a. Students from low-income families might depend heavily on the school bus
for transportation. Consequently, if they stay up late and miss the bus, it
could become challenging for them to make it to school on time.
b. The correlation between sleep and academic performance suggests that
low-income students might achieve lower grades compared to their wealthier
peers if they consistently experience sleep deprivation due to difficulties in
getting to school on time.

2. Starting school later can help to reduce tardiness.

a. This is because studies have shown that schools starting at 8:30 am or later
can significantly improve on-time attendance, particularly for financially
disadvantaged or underperforming students who already face obstacles in
getting enough sleep and getting to school on time (Walley,2021).
b. The decreased number of student visits to the doctor or school nurse suggests
improved attendance in schools. This trend indicates that students are less
likely to fall ill, resulting in fewer instances of tardiness or absenteeism,
ultimately contributing to better overall attendance rates.

C. Lastly, later start times for school provide benefits to students as it can improve
academic performance.

1. Later start times for school actually helps the students in their grade point average
as it increased by a mere 0.1 point.
a. Park et al. (2020) looked at 18,000 students between grades 5 through 11
after four school districts postponed the start of their school day by 20 to 65
minutes.
 b. The study found that earlier school start times positively impacted students'
academic performance, particularly in the Biology course, which was the
primary focus of the research.

2. Delaying school start times can lead to higher test scores, particularly in
Mathematics and English.

a. For example, one study has proven that delaying the school start time can
raise test scores by an average of 2 percentile points in Mathematics and 1.5
points in English.
b. Schools can enhance students' productivity throughout the day by allocating
extra time in the morning. This additional time can be especially beneficial
considering that many students stay up late to finish assignments or engage in
extracurricular activities.

III. CONCLUSION

Delaying school start times offers multiple advantages to students, including

improved sleep patterns, enhanced school attendance, and better academic
performance.

REFERENCES

Sunny, E. P. (2023, May 23). How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep? Sleep Foundation

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/school-and-sleep/later-school-start-times

Walker, T. (2021).Sleep for success: The benefits of delaying school start times.
http://www.nea.org/the-benefit-of-delaying-school-start-times