Fewer than one in five teens in middle and high school don’t begin the day at the recommended 8:30 a.m. start time, new research shows.
Scientists have said that middle and high schools need to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to ensure teens get a good enough sleep the night before. But most schools start on average around 8 a.m. and some even earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Not enough sleep can lead to numerous health risks such as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, using other drugs and poor academic performance, the agency said. It cited a 2014 statement from the Academy of Pediatrics that urged schools to modify start times.
The agency found that 42 states reported 75 to 100 percent of the schools started before 8:30. Louisiana had the earliest average start time at 7:40 a.m. and Alaska the latest at 8:33 a.m., the agency said.
The agency looked at data from the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey of nearly 40,000 public middle, high and combined schools.
School districts are responsible for setting start times, not federal or state regulators.
The issue has been picking up steam with the national Start School Later movement, and some school districts have moved their start times later.
The practice does come with some challenges, including bus schedules and how to handle after-school activities that must be pushed back, according to the nonprofit National Sleep Foundation. However, school districts that have changed their start times haven’t had many problems as they can install lights if practice goes until dark, the foundation said.
Any change to start times could affect low-income families who rely on income from teens through after-school jobs, the foundation added.
