With research suggesting a variety of benefits of later high school start times for students, some Twin Cities area schools have begun to push back start times, while others have decided against the change.
For Wayzata Public Schools, a December 2015 school board vote in favor of shifting to later high scool start time, among other changes, was unanimous. One month earlier, St. Paul Public Schools' board voted to not change start times, while participating in a pilot at one school in an effort to test a later start.
Feasibility and potential health benefits were key issues for both school districts.
Research has shown the benefits of later start times range from improved academic performance to a reduction in student car crashe. A 2014 study from the University of Minnesota, which studied more than 9,000 students from eight public high schools in three states, found that shifting school start times to 8:55 a.m. from 7:35 a.m. decreased car crashes for teen drivers (ages 16 to 18) by 70 percent.
"The evidence is really clear that later start times are incredibly beneficial for academic outcomes, school attendance, mental health, and injuries — specifically car crashes," said Rachel Widome, assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota.
Studies show nearly one-third of American teenagers get at least eight hours of sleep each night. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends teenagers between ages 14 and 17 get 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night.
In Wayzata, the research was persuasive enough to lead the school board to unanimously adopt nearly an extra hour of sleep for high school students. The start time went to 8:20 a.m. from 7:30 a.m. for the 2016-17 school year.
For Wayzata Superintendent Chace Anderson, the later start was necessary, despite opposition from some parents who worried about the effect on elementary schools, which would start earlier to provide available buses for high school students later in the morning.
