Success Stories
If you think it's too hard to start schools later, here is a roll call of school districts in 25 states doing it.
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California
Menlo-Atherton High School Designed an award winning sleep institute with partner Stanford University in 2006 and started school later in 2009. Long Beach Unified School District All middle and 1 high school to start later (8:50 am or after for 2013-2014 (saving $ in the process) Moorpark High School Moorpark High School students will move opening from 7:30 am to 8 am in the 2012-13 school year, only possible after busing funds were cut entirely. Palo Alto To start in 2011-2012 school year Colorado Academy School District, Colorado Springs To start in 2012-2013 school year Cortez-Montezuma Schools. HS to start at 9 am instead of 7:30 am in 2012-13 school year Connecticut Wilton Won State Championships the same year later start was implemented Florida Panama City Superintendent's proposal to start high schools at 8:15 am rather than 7:30 am is approved by the BOE for school year 2013-13 Santa Rosa County The county saved millions when it changed to later school start times in 2006. This is a very highly ranked Florida public school system with competitive (football district champion!) athletic teams. Georgia Decatur This change was prompted by parents objecting to moving start times earlier the year before but also happened to save money for the district. Indiana Avon High School "I think the research is very plain. The older the student, the later you should start school," said Rick Adcock, Avon High School principal. Cathedral High School Principal Dave Worland initiates a 30 minute delay in school start times. He states, "It's not about the adults, it's about the kids." Lawrence Township Valparaiso Community Schools Late start one a day week implemented to improve teacher planning time and exemplified coordination of efforts with before care services Iowa West Des Moines School District Started high schools later by reducing the number of buses needed, saving the district $700,000 annually. Kentucky Fayette County Teen driver crash rates reduced by 16.5% in 2 years after school start time delayed by one hour while the rest of the state saw an increase in teen crash rates. Jessamine County Since implementing later school starts in 2002, "attendance immediately went up, as did scores on standardized tests, which have continued to rise each year." The schools also cut down on "passing time" and saved on bus expenses Louisiana Lafayette Parish All schools to start 15 minutes later for 2012-13 as part of 6 year improvement plan Maine Rockland HS Oceanside High Schools to start a half hour later (8am) in 2013-14 school year, based on scientific research about teen sleep needs. Massachusetts Duxbury Nauset High School After the 2012 implementation of an hour later school start, preliminary analysis revealed: - a 53 percent drop in the number of failing grades - a 38 percent decline of D's and F's - the number of days students were suspended for disciplinary reasons plummeted from 166 in the first two months last year to 19 days in September and October of this year. Eastham, Sharon Public Schools Weston High School Superintendent Cheryl Maloney leads the charge to shift start time from 7:30am to 8:00am by freeing up free slots during the middle of the day. “It’s not something that can be fixed by saying, well, they should be going to bed earlier,” Erica Cole, a high school assistant principal and a member of the start-time committee, said, adding that research shows students’ bodies and minds do not allow them to “power down” until a certain time. Minnesota Edina Landmark study notes positive effects of later school starts "...initially Edina parents were concerned about the effect of later starts on such logistical issues as busing, athletics, and child care for younger students. But at the end of the first year of implementation, 92 percent of respondents on a survey for Edina high school parents indicated that they preferred the later start times." - CHED, University of Minnesota Mahtomedi School District High schools found a way to start 35 minutes later by shortening passing periods, a no-cost solution. An added bonus: no impact on after-school activities, better attendance, and less student sleeping in class. Minneapolis Public Schools "...the later start time still appears to have made a significant difference in keeping students in the same school." Study also notes an increase in attendance and a decrease in symptoms of depression. |
Missouri
Columbia Public Schools Using Start School Later materials, students led a campaign to get their school board to reverse a proposal to start high schools earlier - and then turned it into a plan to start them later (9 am for 2013-14 school year)! Mississippi Hattiesburg Public School District Montana Bierbam Elementary Later school start implemented to SAVE transportation costs New Jersey Ridgewood High School Trial to start one hour later will be profiled by Race to Nowhere New York Corinth Elementary and Middle Schools to move teacher planning to morning and students will start an hour later Glens Falls High School Preliminary data from 1st year of implementation in 2012-13 already show reduction in tardies & improved sleep Ithaca Nevada Las Vegas North Carolina Columbus County Three high schools to start an hour later and use their own buses Moore County This change actually saved $700,000 in transportation costs Wake County "...later start times are associated with decreased absences, less time spent watching television and a greater amount of time spent on homework, indicating that these factors may explain why later starting students have higher test scores." Duke University Class course scheduling policy requires that NO class start before 8:30 a.m. Ohio Dublin City Hudson Moved start times later for middle and high schools starting in 2010-11 school year. Kenston Public Schools "The high school and middle school start @ 7:50 and elementary schools starting @8:45 or 8:55. The greatest adjustment was with our working parents at the elementary levels. High school and middle school parents love it." - Superintendent Dr. Robert Lee via email dated March 12, 2013 Parma All district schools change hours, with middle schools moving 20 minutes later to 8:20 a.m. in part due to new understanding of sleep needs Westlake High School "While we don't have any data to say how the later start time may or may not have improved the academic performance of our students, I can say the students are definitely enjoying the extra sleep in the morning." - Kim Bonvissuto, Communications Coordinator, Westlake City School District via email dated March 12, 2013 Oklahoma Stillwater Board of Education approves schedule to start HS one hour later, at 9 am, for the 2013-14 school year. Earliest school start is 8 am. Rhode Island St. George's School, Middletown After implementing a trial to delay school by 30 minutes, the following results were reported: "The portion of students reporting at least eight hours of sleep on school nights jumped from about 16 percent to almost 55 percent; reports of daytime sleepiness dropped substantially, from 49 percent to 20 percent; first period tardiness dropped by almost half and students reported having more time to eat a hot, more nutritious breakfast." "The results were so impressive that the school made the change permanent." Tennessee Cleveland Virginia Arlington Henrico County Wisconsin Whitnall High School, Greenfield Wyoming Jackson High School, Jackson Outside the US: Canada Regina Catholic Schools, Saskatchewan, Toronto |
There are at least fifty high schools in large area suburban areas that have earned the a US News Gold or Silver ranking that have 8:00 AM or later 1st bell time - SLEEPinFairfax.org
