8:12 on an average school day. You might be putting away your phone, straining to hear the announcements over the chatter of the class, chatting yourself, or just resigning yourself to the assignments of the day. Whatever you’re up to, however, there’s one thing you’re tragically unable to do: stay at home in your nice warm blankets, dead to the world. 

A school day that started just a little bit later could have a major impact on students’ health and performance. But, you might ask, if we had less time in a day, wouldn’t we be stuck with more homework/not have enough time to learn/spontaneously combust? 

Surely there’s a reason things are the way they are. But there is evidence to the contrary: students in schools with start times closer to 9 A.M. in Finland and Spain have higher average attendance rates and better overall performance, in addition to a higher level of energy throughout the day.

If the school day were to start just thirty minutes later:

Students would have more time in the morning to prepare for school. Some students skip breakfast or abandon morning routines they may have maintained during the summer since they just don’t have the time or energy anymore. 

 -Drivers would be more alert behind the wheel on the way to school, reducing accidents.

-It would help to reduce chronic sleep deprivation, a major contributor to depression, anxiety, weakened immune systems.

-It would improve memory retention, which would help some students to improve their grades

Teenagers naturally have a different sleep-wake rhythm than adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations recommend that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to align with adolescent biological sleep needs.                                                                                                                                             There is virtually unanimous agreement in the research community that later start times in adolescent education would produce a positive change in adolescent learning, health and safety. Leading researchers in sleep medicine and sleep neuroscience have frequently called for this change in education start times to improve learning and reduce health risks. Few, if any, educational interventions are so strongly supported by research evidence from so many different disciplines and experts in the field.

A later start-time in the day would be a great step in setting our students up for success, increasing their energy, and boosting morale.