If you’ve ever made the argument that school starts too early, you now have science to back you up. A new federal report says the majority of middle and high schools students in the U.S. start their school day too early. The early start time keeps kids from sleeping enough for academic and developmental success.
So what’s wrong with pushing back school start time? The main issue has been from those who say that a later start time could affect after-school activities. While it’s not that simple to change the time, the results can be so beneficial to kids. For instance, a 2014 University of Minnesota study showed that in high schools that started at 8:30 a.m. or later, 60 percent of their students got at least eight hours of sleep every night. Teenagers who slept less than that reported more emotional and behavioral issues.
