The Benefits of Later High School Start Times

Several studies have indicated that starting the high school day later could have the following benefits:

• Increased Attendance Rates
• Improved Academic Performance
• More Sleep and Better Health Outcomes
• Reduced Tardiness
• Decreased Behavioral Issues
• Fewer Automobile Accidents Among Teen Drivers

A major study published in 2017 looked at attendance rates in Seattle high schools before and after start times were pushed back by 55 minutes. Here is a table summarizing the findings:

With the later start time, attendance rates increased by a significant 3 percentage points district-wide. This shows a compelling connection between later starts and better attendance.

Key Reasons for Absenteeism Among High School Students

There are many interrelated causes of absenteeism among teenagers, including:

Transportation Issues

• Missing the bus or other problems getting to school

Health Problems

• Illnesses like colds, flu and chronic conditions
• Mental health issues such as depression

Academic Struggles

• Losing motivation due to poor grades
• Difficulty understanding class material

Lack of Engagement

• Boredom and lack of stimulation
• Conflicts with teachers or lack of bonding

Insufficient Sleep

• Biological shift makes it hard for teens to fall asleep early
• Leading to excessive daytime grogginess

Implementing an automated student attendance management system can help identify at-risk students faster so they can receive the appropriate interventions and supports sooner.

How Later Start Times Help Address Key Issues

Here are some of the ways that delaying first period can help mitigate common causes of absenteeism:

• Students gain needed sleep, so health and focus improve
• With better rest, it’s easier to get up and out the door on time
• Arriving more awake and ready to learn, teens engage better
• Improved academic performance further boosts engagement
• Healthier and more energized students have fewer illnesses

In short, those extra morning hours facilitate a positive cycle where sleep sets the stage for better learning and fewer absences.

Frequently Asked Questions About Start Times

Here are answers to some common questions regarding school start times:

What time is best for high schools to start?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, middle and high schools should begin class at 8:30 AM or later to sync better with teens’ sleep cycles.

What time do high schoolers have to wake up?

When having to arrive by 7:30 AM, high schoolers often need to be up by 6 AM or earlier. Pushing school back by an hour or more allows waking up closer to 7 AM.

Don’t teens just stay up later if school starts later?

Research indicates high schoolers get roughly the same total sleep with later starts, counter to fears they would just shift bedtimes. The issue is biological -- without enough sleep, teens physiologically struggle to fall asleep much before 11 PM.

Wouldn’t a later dismissal interfere with jobs and activities?

Having class extend into mid or late-afternoon could pose issues. However, schools can condense the schedule or shorten periods to largely end by 2 – 3 PM.

How much later do experts recommend?

Ideally high schools should start at 8:30 AM or 9 AM. However, even just 30 minutes to an hour later improves outcomes versus very early start times.

Implementing an Effective Attendance Tracking System

Rather than struggling with cumbersome outdated attendance tracking methods, more schools have implemented student information system (SIS) software to monitor absenteeism and provide data needed to guide interventions.

Core Capabilities of SIS Attendance Tracking Tools:

• Automated notifications when students are marked absent
• Customizable hierarchy for escalating alerts to staff and parents
• Chronological attendance reports for all students
• Analytics comparing absence rates across groups
• Real-time monitoring of school-wide and district-wide attendance rates
• Tracking of interventions and outcomes for individual students
• Detailed logs of reasons, classifications, and duration per absence
• Interoperability with third-party software like transportation and health systems

Such functionality enables staff to spot negative attendance trends early and address issues through demonstrated means such as parent conferences, counseling referrals or academic support programs. These tools provide robust data to help schools determine optimal start times and other policies as well.

Key Takeaways

Adjusting bell schedules represents a significant change for schools, so apprehension is understandable. However, the research strongly argues for pushing high school start times later.

Here are the major reasons why:

• Attendance rises dramatically when teens get sufficient morning sleep
• Patterns of tardiness and skipping also improve
• Health, mood and safety outcomes are better rested
• Academic achievement goes up, reducing disengagement
• No evidence teens just stay up even later
• Any schedule adjustments can minimize activity interference

Coupled with adoption of an automated attendance management system, later secondary school start times could be a game changer for student outcomes across the board.

Conclusion

Compelling data reveals that early start times are detrimental and shifting schedules later significantly improves attendance and punctuality. Implementing a robust student attendance management system also streamlines absence tracking and response. Working in unison, these two strategies have great potential for reducing chronic absenteeism and enhancing achievement in high schools nationwide. District and school leaders owe it to staff, students and parents to give serious consideration to delaying first period based on the convincing case for change.