The early start times of schools is a widespread issue because it can have detrimental effects on a student’s well-being. Because of this, a common debate in many districts throughout the country has to do with when that first bell should ring. Adolescents function better with more sleep, so although there are a few downsides to school starting later, there are overall more benefits for the cause. A change to school start times [at 8:30 AM or later] would have a great impact on the physical and mental health of students.

Firstly, according to the article “Hit the Snooze Button: States Debate Later High School Start Times,” studies show advantages for high school students when they get more sleep. Later school start times allow for students to get more hours of sleep, which makes students more active and alert throughout the school day. According to the article,  later start times are healthier for kids, reduce juvenile crime, improve grades, increase sports performance and result in better teenage driving records. Along with this, insufficient sleep for students can lead to various other health issues such as obesity, depression, and other illnesses.

Academic performance is another reason as to why later start times are beneficial. The article “Later School Start Times More Popular, But What Are the Drawbacks?” states that, “Among students whose start times were delayed, final grades were 4.5 percent higher, compared with students who took the class when school started earlier.” When students are sleep deprived, they lose their ability to concentrate and engage during class. This can then lead to issues with grades and impact their academics.

NPHS’s neighboring school district of Chatham, NJ recently pushed back their start time forty minutes later to 8:20 AM.  According to the article “Later Start Times For Chatham Schools So Students Can Get Sleep”:  “Students in Grade 8 begin to get less sleep, which significantly drops as students reach grade 12, [superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa] said. The greater number of students surveyed are getting six hours or less of sleep, with 45 percent in the high school sleeping that amount.” 

Additionally, the article notes that “New bills in the Assembly and Senate would push high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m.” Other districts soon may have to have their start times later by law in the 2024-25 school year.

Chatham High School now ends their school day at 3:00 PM, which is only twelve minutes after NPHS ends. Although some might advocate for this change to be implemented at NPHS, there are a couple of issues that would make this problematic.

For example, New Providence has one-hour periods instead of forty-five minutes like Chatham. This difference in period length would make it difficult to change the start time without substantially altering the rest of the schedule. However, this is a problem that can be overcome. 

To sum everything up, later school start time, specifically around 8:30 AM, has many positive aspects, and should be put in place throughout more districts including New Providence. Aligning the school schedule with teens’ natural sleep patterns could create a lot of success. This slight time change prioritizes student well-being and academic success.