Coles 1

Olivia Coles

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 3

14 April 2022

Delaying High School Start Time

“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers 13 to 18 years of

age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours” (Cardan et al.). During adolescence, teens go to

sleep later and wake up later because of their circadian rhythm. Early school start times cause

sleep deprivation in teens. Delaying school start times would lower the chronic sleep deprivation

in teens, benefiting them in multiple ways. High school start time needs to be delayed because of

the change in internal circadian rhythm, academic performance, and the health benefits.

To start, the definition of the circadian rhythm is the changes that the body goes through

in a 24-hour period. The internal circadian rhythms change during adolescence. This change

causes teens to fall asleep and wake up later. Early school start times and the change in the

circadian rhythms have caused chronic sleep deprivation in teens (Bostwick). Later school start

times would allow teens to get enough sleep because it is hard for teens to fall asleep before

eleven p.m. “Recent medical research has found that adolescents experience changes to the

biological clock near the onset of puberty that induce "night owl" sleep patterns. This effect,

combined with early high school start times has led to widespread, chronic sleep deprivation

among teens” (Bostwick). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) states that school

start times should be 8:30 a.m. or later to make students feel awake, and alert, not sleep deprived

(Cardan et al.). Biological time is measured in developmental changes and our internal clock
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(Kelley). At age ten, our biological wake up time is about 6:30, school start time should be

around 8:30 to 9:00. At age sixteen, our wake-up time is around 8:00, school start time should be

around 10:00 to 10:30: at eighteen our wake-up time is wake up at 9:00 and start time is around

11:00 to 11:30 (Kelley). Delaying school start times would match student's circadian rhythms,

lowering the amount of sleep deprivation.

In addition to changes in the circadian rhythm, delaying school start time would benefit

student academic performance. Teens who are sleep deficient are more likely to get lower grades

(Wahlstrom). If school started later, teens would get more sleep, be more ready to learn, and

would not be as tired in classes, causing them to get better grades. At an United States Air Force

Academy, they changed the start time from 7:00 to 7:50 over three years. They found that in the

classes with later start times, students performed better (Kelley et al.). Having schools start at

8:30 or later would let students achieve their peak academic performance and reduce tardiness

and absences (Carden et al.). By delaying school start times, it would help students achieve better

grades and be more prepared for school. Two schools had students turn their lights off at similar

times, but one school woke up later than the other school. The students at the school that woke

up later performed better than the students at the other school. They also had longer sustained

attention, and attendance (Alfonsi et al.). Delaying school start time would benefit students

academically, by improving their alertness, attention, and attendance as well as their overall

academic achievement.

On the other hand, there are some problems with starting school later. These include

having teens drive during rush hour after school and that some students might not be able to go

to after school jobs. Having schools delay their start time may cause more accidents due to teens

driving during a congested rush time. However, delaying the start time would allow for students
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to get the sleep that they need and keep them alert. It would also keep them out of the rush hour

in the morning. Another concern is that students might not be able to go to after-school jobs,

because the school day would end later. These students could still work weekends or see if they

would be able to go later. Schools that start at 8:00 could be changed to around 8:30, which is

what AASM suggests, so some students could go in around 3:30, if their jobs allow them.

Schools are also hesitant to change the start time due to the cost of new buses. This is due to the

tiered bussing system, of middle and high school students getting picked up first then elementary

school students later. “In the case of Fairfax County, the new start time policy required the

purchase of 27 new buses and cost a total of $4.9 million.” (Bostwick). Although this is a major

concern, some high school students can drive themselves. There are also numerous benefits from

delaying school start time, such as academic growth, better mental and physical health, that

outweigh these concerns.

Along with the change in circadian rhythm, and academic growth, delaying school start

times improves student mental and physical health. The changes in the circadian rhythm during

adolescence and early school start time can cause a negative impact on student mental and

physical well-being. Teens who have sleep deprivation are more likely to be involved in drug,

cigarette, and alcohol use (Wahlstrom). These students also tend to have more significant

feelings of depression and are at a greater risk for car accidents. (Wahlstrom) By delaying school

start times, students would not be driving during morning rush hour, and would be able to get

more sleep the night before, making them more awake and alert. Car accidents account for 35%

of all deaths and 73% of deaths from unintentional injury in teenagers (Carden et al.) Teen

drivers have a peak in car crashes in the morning, which shows the dangers of not getting enough

sleep. A study found that delaying the school start time by fifteen minutes caused a significant
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decrease in the number of teen car accidents late at night (Bostwick). Chronic sleep loss can also

have major effects such as increased feelings of depression (Bostwick). Delaying school start

times would improve student's mental health. The AASM recommends eight to ten hours of

sleep per 24 hours on a regular basis, for teens ages thirteen through eighteen to stay healthy. By

changing the start time, it lets students get more sleep, improving their mental and physical well-

being. Changing school start time to later, lowers the amount of teen driving accidents in the

morning, improves mental health, and students are less likely to be involved in cigarette, alcohol,

and drug use.

In summary, high school start times need to be delayed because of the change in the

internal circadian rhythm during adolescence, academic achievement, and physical and mental

health. During adolescence, the internal circadian rhythm changes, making teens fall asleep, and

wake up later. Changing the school start time, lets teens get the sleep that they need. Delaying

school start time until after 8:30, recommended by AASM, improves high school students'

mental health. It also lowers the number of teen car crashes in the morning which are caused by

sleep deprivation and driving during high traffic times. Later school start time also improves

student academics. There are some concerns about a later start time, such as the cost of new

buses to transport students to school, and students not being able to work, but there are numerous

benefits that outweigh these concerns. Delaying school start times has numerous benefits for

students, and the people around them.

Works Cited

Alfonsi, Valentina, et al. "The Association between School Start Time and Sleep Duration,

Sustained Attention, and Academic Performance." Nature and Science of Sleep, vol. 12,

31 Dec. 2020, p. 1161+. Gale Academic OneFile,

[Link]/apps/doc/A649683944/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=bookmark-

AONE&xid=724086ca. Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

Bostwick, Valerie K. "SAVED by THE MORNING BELL: SCHOOL START TIME AND

TEEN CAR ACCIDENTS." Contemporary Economic Policy, vol. 36, no. 4, Oct. 2018, p.

591+. Gale Academic OneFile,

[Link]/apps/doc/A557612185/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=bookmark-

AONE&xid=e1d0178a. Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

Carden, Kelly A., et al. "Delaying Middle School and High School Start Times Promotes Student

Health and Performance: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement."

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, vol. 13, no. 04, [Link]

Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

Kelley, Paul, et al. "Synchronizing Education to Adolescent Biology: 'let Teens Sleep, Start

School Later.'" Learning, Media and Technology, vol. 40, no. 2, 1 Aug. 2014, pp. 210-26,

[Link] Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

Wahlstrom, Kyla L., and Judith A. Owens. "School Start Time Effects on Adolescent Learning

and Academic Performance, Emotional Health and Behaviour." Current Opinion in

Psychiatry, vol. 30, no. 6, Nov. 2017, pp. 485-90,

[Link] Accessed 25 Mar. 2022.