How effective are school start times on high school students? For some, the high school start times are fine and believe that they should stay the same. For some, high school start times are unacceptable and affect high school students in a negative way.
Although statistics and professionals say that School start time for high schoolers would be more efficient, would be better for mental health, and would improve mood. Many students and staff say that they prefer the early start time and that it is more efficient for them. The average start time in the U.S being “8:00 am” according to the National Education of Statistics .
Many students say that the early start time enables time for activities after school: working out, work, sports, and any extra curricular activities. Oakmont Senior athlete Logan Shattuck says “ I think that an early start time is good because you get out of school earlier, and you have more time to do stuff like work and other things like that” . Many other students agree with Logan’s input.
Not only is it students that believe that the early start time is More efficient, staff also think the early start time leaves more time for after school activities. Physical education teacher Scott McGrath says, “ As a teacher I prefer the earlier start and getting out earlier, I think for sports it’s better because you start practice earlier on and can get more things done. The problems would be: Jobs after school, getting out of school later, less time for homework and once again athletics.”
Even though most students agree that the start time should stay the same, that isn’t the case for all students. Some students believe that due to after school activities they aren’t getting much time for sleep and that the start time for high school in the morning should be pushed back. Oakmont Senior athlete Dillian Sanders says, “ sleeping longer would leave me to be more energized for the school day.” This could help students be more productive in class rather than just sleeping and preventing them from doing work.
Professionals and statistics back up Dillans claim. Guidance counselor Mrs. Amy Dubovick feels strongly about this topic saying “Levels of anxiety and depression go down, You get more sleep, which is better for all your bodily functions, and your just more ready to learn” She makes very good points, although the majority of high school students are still going against this, and would like the start times stay the same.
Statistics also back up Sanders and Mrs. Dubovick’s input on how they wish the start time would change. Statistics show that less sleep leads to mood disorders, metal health issues and performance in school. The American academy of pediatric’s suggests “ Strongly supports the efforts of school districts to optimize sleep in students and urges high schools and middle schools to aim for start times that allow students the opportunity to achieve optimal levels of sleep (8.5–9.5 hours) and to improve physical (eg, reduced obesity risk) and mental (eg, lower rates of depression) health, safety (eg, drowsy driving crashes), academic performance, and quality of life.” Fixing many high school problems now.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics “22.5” percent of high schoolers have jobs. So, to those 22.5 percent of high school students they are having lots of time taken out of their day to do things like homework or sports, decreasing their time to sleep. On the other hand if school did start earlier then school ending earlier enables more time to get done with their activities. Sophomore student Emma Leger says “ I don’t have a job so it leaves open time for me to do dance and homework, and I still don’t get much “ So sleep could higher grades like 11th and 12th most likely the 22.5 percent be increasingly affected by the start time due to having a job because For people without a job like Emma is already affected by the time she has to sleep. Although maybe the start time ranging earlier gives them more time at the end of the day to get things like work and extracurricular activities done.
COVID could have also had a large effect on the sleep schedule for high school students. The sleep schedule for high school students pre-COVID was on a set schedule their body was then used to the schedule of waking up and going to sleep at the same time everyday. Then COVID hits and high schoolers are now waking and going to sleep whenever they please. Eventually, you would have to wake up at some point to do your work online but only when you wanted, due to teachers not having you wake up for a meet. Which would also allow students to go to bed whenever they wanted.
After COVID though when students were going back to school they had to get used to the different schedule of waking up and going to sleep earlier in the day. Students going into higher grades had also made it so some elementary school students were then moving into middle school making the start time even earlier then what they were used to. Getting into after school activities that were closed during COVID, would have affected their sleep schedule even further and not being used to doing them like they had once before.
So ,Should the start time for high schoolers change to a later time? Leaving more sleeping in time. Possibly improving mental health issues for high schoolers that need that help and decreasing that problem for the school to have to take care of. Maybe even making high schoolers more productive throughout the day instead of falling asleep in class.
Although we could keep that early start time that the high schoolers push to keep, going against statistics and professionals. Leaving more time for out of school activities and getting more things done at the end of the day: going to work, working out, and other extracurricular activities. Does school start time affect high schoolers work ethic?
