Are School Start Times Negatively Affecting Students?
Bed by eight, lights out by nine, up at six. This schedule may have worked with elementary school kids but does it sound realistic for the average high school student?
The majority of high school students say no.
With their busy schedules of school, work, sports, clubs, friends, and extracurricular activities, many SKHS students say they find it difficult to get the eight hours of required sleep each night. In fact, according to a study by Stanford Medicine News Center, “more than 87 percent of U.S. high school students get far less than the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night.”
While many believe that teenagers are equipped to function with little to no sleep, studies demonstrate that drastic negative side effects emerge due to lack of sleep, especially during one’s teenage years.
“Whenever I have a late night I feel my whole sleep schedule for the rest of the week get all messed up,” stated SKHS student-athlete Addy Crout. “And with practice every day, and games multiple times a week,” ” Crout added, “I often don’t go to bed until pretty late.”
According to Myers’ Psychology for the AP® Course, the ideal amount of sleep for teenagers is nine to 10 hours of sleep per night. While a few nights of less sleep here and there is not going to do any serious damage, according to medical professionals, the repetitive pattern of getting significantly less sleep from one night to the next often causes major sleep deprivation.
As this topic has gained more interest in recent years the question most frequently asked is what is keeping these teenagers from getting enough sleep? The most consistent factor: school.
The average school start time for a U.S. high school is 7:30 am which often leads to students having to wake up between 5:30–6:45 am. The easiest solution, most argue, is for teenagers to go to sleep earlier. However, experts on the topic believe that this is easier said than done.
High schoolers today are much busier than they were 50 years ago. Many students participate in sports after school or work a job that can keep them out until late hours. Many also say that the only time to complete their homework is at night.
“With the workload, I get from my classes.” Crout explained, “I struggle to finish my work between when school gets out at two to the start of my practice at four.”
Another factor that affects teenagers’ sleep is the change in their internal clock. After puberty, the body’s 24-hour clock shifts, and the circadian rhythm of the body changes. Instead of starting to feel tired at nine or 10, the internal sleep clock shifts to 11 or 12 during one’s teenage years. Studies have shown that teenagers can actually get a burst of energy later in the night, and often they become programmed to stay up later. With the early wakeups, doctors say, their bodies begin to resist these changes.
In recent years, educators and parents have started considering whether or not the lack of sleep may be impacting school performance. In fact, many studies have linked the lack of sleep for teenagers to lower performance in school.
According to the National Education Association, “Students without enough sleep are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, perform poorly in school, and not engage in daily physical activity.” These factors have led many schools to consider the time that they start their school.
While other local schools such as Narragansett and The Prout School have made the switch to a later start time for high school students, South Kingstown High School has maintained its 7:30 am start time.
South Kingstown AP psychology teacher Mr. Shiels says that this has “been a discussion in the past,” and “every year [the topic] comes up.”
In the past eight years, Shiels said, a committee has convened to determine whether a later start time would be beneficial for the SKHS district. Made up of parents, teachers, students, pediatricians, and other ranking community members, the committee has reviewed several plans and proposals that other schools in the state have put in place, and more recently, the committee forwarded a survey to the community to get citizens’ opinions.
According to Shiels, the biggest opposition to this plan is the students.
“The student body rejected the idea of going later,” Shiels, who is also a member of this committee, said. “They did not want to get out of school between 3–3:45.”
Many sports, especially those in the fall and spring, take place shortly after school. With a later start time, a practice that usually runs from 3–5 pm would be pushed to 4–6 pm, and students say this could cause problems, especially in the fall when it starts getting darker earlier.
SKHS student Samara Prairie, a junior, said that if a change occurs, she hopes the shift in time does not become drastic. “I wouldn’t want to get out later than 2:30,” Prairie said. “I have dance [practice] at 3:30 so getting out at 3 would suck.”
Many students agree with this and would struggle to make the later release work with their after-school schedules. Whether it is a sports practice, a job, or another obligation many students have activities following school.
However, neighboring schools like Narragansett High School and The Prout School have pushed their start times to 8:00 am and 8:10 am, and Prout student Lily Donegan disagrees with those who are against the later school start times.
Donegan’s school starts at 8:10 am and the Prout junior said the later start time “gives students more sleep and time to get ready and eat breakfast.”
Starting a full 40 minutes after South Kingstown starts, many believe that Prout students benefit from the extra amount of sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that “even 60 extra minutes of sleep per night can have major benefits in staving off long-term health issues.”
Within the past decade this topic has gained momentum and many school districts today fear they are not doing what’s best for their students.
While many students may be against this change, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a possibility. If the signs of sleep deprivation continue to show up in schools for such a large number of students, some believe, this might push the local school community to follow the pattern set by neighboring schools and push back the start time.
There is also the possibility of the state making it a law that students can not go to school earlier than a certain time. California was the first state to make it a law requiring public high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 am. back in 2019. Since California adopted the change, many states have begun to follow their lead.
“In the next five years,” Shiels said, “most states will issue a later time for all students, especially for students in high school.
“This is coming right from the doctors,” the SKHS social studies teacher. “It’s research-based, proven, and scientific”.
