Welcome to Start School Later Greater Austin, TX!

 The Greater Austin chapter of Start School Later includes the growing metroplex of Round Rock, Georgetown and San Marcos.

All Austin-area high schools start at 8:20 a.m. or later (e.g., San Marcos H.S. at 8:20 a.m., Round Rock H.S. at 9:05 a.m., Westlake H.S. at 8:50 a.m.). Although Austin-area middle schools start around 8:30 a.m. Austin's elementary schools' early start times are cause for action.

Start School Later advocates that no child should have to walk, wait at bus stops, ride their bikes, or drive to school before civil twilight. Because the majority of elementary schools in the Greater Austin area require students to be at school before 8 a.m., many young students are commuting in the dark. In fact, Bluebonnet Elementary School in Bastrop ISD has a bus pickup time of 5:35 a.m.!

Unfortunately, the situation is getting worse not better. Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD recently changed the start times of its elementary schools to earlier. To meet the 75,600 minutes of instructional time required by the state, districts added five minutes to each school day ... in the morning. Many elementary schools start at 7:40 a.m. and even 7:35.

To join the Greater Austin chapter or get more information, please fill out the form on this page or like us on Facebook.

Read Austin Chapter Leader Alexandra Wharton's testimony to the Texas Senate Education Committee on April 4, 2018