School Start Times
During adolescence, internal circadian rhythms and biological sleep drive change to result in later sleep and wake times. As a result of these changes, early middle school and high school start times curtail sleep, hamper a student’s preparedness to learn, negatively impact physical and mental health, and impair driving safety. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence shows that delaying school start times positively impacts student achievement, health, and safety. Public awareness of the hazards of early school start times and the benefits of later start times are largely unappreciated. As a result, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is calling on communities, school boards, and educational institutions to implement start times of 8:30 a.m. or later for middle schools and high schools to ensure that every student arrives at school healthy, awake, alert, and ready to learn.
- California Senate Bill No. 328 (SB 328)- “Pupil attendance: school start time” (Signed into law Oct. 13, 2019)
- Florida House Bill 733 (HB 733) – “Middle School and High School Start Times” (Signed into law May 12, 2023)
- Health Advisory: School Start Times (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
- Delaying Middle School and High School Start Times Promotes Student Health and Performance (American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement)
- AMA Supports Delayed School Start Times to Improve Adolescent Wellness (American Medical Association policy)
- School Start Times for Adolescents (American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement)
- Start Middle and High Schools at 8:30 a.m. or Later to Promote Student Health and Learning (Society of Behavioral Medicine position statement)
- Letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – urging him to sign HB 733 into law (May 2023)
- Letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom – urging him to sign SB 328 into law (September 2019)
- Letter to Massachusetts leaders – urging support for H 468 to create a special commission to study school starting times (September 2019)
- Letter to the California Senate Education Committee chair – urging support for California Senate Bill No. 328 (April 2019)
- Letter to Representative Zoe Lofgren – supporting the “ZZZ’s to A’s Act” (April 2017)
- Letter to the College Board – requesting later start times for the SAT exam (December 2016)
- Letter to ACT Inc.– requesting later start times for the ACT exam (December 2016)
- H.R.8787 – ZZZ’s to A’s Act (Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives)
- Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
- Student Sleep Health Week (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
- Sleep Recharges You: Educator Resources (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
- High School Start Times and the Impact on High School Students: What We Know, and What We Hope to Learn (National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project)
- Schools Start Too Early (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- School Start Times for Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2011–12 School Year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- School Start Time Toolkit (Minnesota Sleep Society)
- Start School Later, Inc. [501(c)(3) non-profit organization]
Please contact the AASM at policy@aasm.org or (630) 737-9700 if you have any questions about sleep and school start times.