Welcome to Start School Later Texas!

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Start School Later Texas advocates for healthy daily start time state parameters benefiting public school students. In addition, four local chapters are committed to advocating locally for safer, healthier school start times. 

• Arlington 
• Greater Austin
• Houston Area
• Montgomery County 

If you are interested in contacting Start School Later Texas, or starting a chapter in your city, county or school district, fill out our "Contact Us" form on this page.

TX Districts Starting H.S. at 8:30 AM or Later

TX Districts Starting H.S. in 7 o'clock Hour

How to Put Parentlng Skills to Work for Healthy Hours - SSL Blog by Debbie O. Moore

Start School Later Texas was pleased to have played a part in the introduction of House Bill #1602 during the 86th Texas legislative session. The bill required all school districts in the state to begin instruction at 8:00 a.m. or later.

Members of SSL Texas testified in support of the bill at the Public Education Hearing on April 4. Unfortunately, the bill was not voted out of committee.

Many thanks to healthy hours supporters who wrote or called public education committee members during the session.

Teen mental health and safety is now on legislator's radar. We are committed to continuing to raise awareness of the role of healthy school hours play in addressing adolescent health.

Texas Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) Issues Recommendations for Daily Class and Activity Start Times, November 2016.

 Improve education in Texas: Let teens get their sleep, Texas Tribune Op-ed by Debbie O. Moore, June 4, 2018.

HuffPost Blog on TX High School District Research, August 2017.

SSL Texas researched high school start times of 977 school districts in Texas. The earliest school start time goes to Aldine ISD with a daily start time of 6:55 AM. Bus routes for this district begin at 5:45 AM! Here are Texas high school start times by the numbers:

• 54 school districts in TX begin high school between 7:00-7:29 AM
• 310 school districts between 7:30-7:59 AM
  
• 536 school districts between 8:00-8:29 AM
  
• 76 school districts at 8:30 AM or later
  

Only 12% of TX school districts begin the day at 8:30 AM or later as recommended by the CDC, AMA, AAP, and numerous other health organizations. 88% of TX school districts are mandating sleep deprivation for high school students.

Texas District High School Start Times Facts

Members of SSL Arlington & Houston join Start School Later Executive Director, Dr. Terra Ziporyn Snider at The University of Texas on January 27, 2017 for her ED Talk - "A Matter of Time: Adolescent Sleep and School Start Times".

The Houston area has the largest cluster of early daily high school start times in the state. Houston ISD standardized their bell schedules for the 2018-19 academic year. As a result of SSL Houston Area advocacy, all middle and high schools in the district will start at 8:30 am.

Houston ISD has already created a wave of change. Goose Creek Consolidated ISD has also approved healthy hours for 2018-19.