New Research Indicates Early School Start Times Are Detrimental to Teens

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New Research Indicates Early School Start Times Are Detrimental to Teens
by Jamie Thompson
April 16, 2021

Do schools really need to begin before 8:30 a.m.? A recent study suggests that they do not, particularly for high school students.

Teens are not fans of early mornings, and getting them out the door for school at dawn can feel nearly impossible. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that starting school at 8:30 a.m. or later not only helps them arrive on time but also promotes better physical and mental health. A new study adds to this growing body of evidence.

Published in the journal Sleep, the study involved around 28,000 students from a varied Colorado school district that delayed its start times. This initiative aimed to provide students, especially adolescents, with more sleep. After two years, the results were promising.

While the percentage of elementary students reporting sufficient sleep did not change, middle and high school students showed a notable increase in adequate sleep duration, and clinically significant daytime sleepiness decreased.

The findings revealed that moving school start times later resulted in an average sleep increase of approximately 45 minutes for students. Elementary school students began classes an hour earlier, allowing older students to be picked up later. Lisa Carter, a pediatric psychologist at National Health Institute in Colorado, stated that middle schools started 40 to 60 minutes later, and high schools pushed their start times back by 70 minutes, allowing them to start school at or after 8:30 a.m.

“Delaying school start times for middle and high school students is a vital health policy that can effectively address adolescent sleep deprivation without significantly impacting younger students,” Carter explained.

Middle schoolers went to bed about nine minutes later and gained an average of 29 minutes of additional sleep, while high school students went to bed 14 minutes later and enjoyed an average of 46 extra minutes of sleep, accumulating around four more hours over a week.

Brandon Lawrence, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, pointed out that these changes align better with teens’ internal biological clocks. Insufficient sleep can adversely affect memory, learning, and overall health.

The CDC has been advocating for later school start times, asserting that “schools start too early.” Currently, less than 21% of middle schools and under 18% of high schools in the U.S. begin classes at 8:30 a.m. or later.

“Sleep deprivation is common among high school students and is linked to various health risks such as obesity, substance use, and poor academic performance,” the CDC notes.

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In summary, a recent study underscores the negative impact of early school start times on teenagers, advocating for a shift to later start times to promote better health and well-being.

Keyphrase: Early school start times effects on teens
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