Why High School Should Start Later Essay

“Everybody learns better when they are awake”(Carskadon). This quotation mentioned by Carskadon is true for everyone, whether it is adults, students, or kids. According to the CDC, 5 out of 6 high schools start class session way too early, or else before 8:30 am. With the benefit of school starting later, students would get more sleep, their physical and mental activities would improve dramatically, and their mental state of being would be overall more focused. Students should start at a later time in the morning because kids learn much better when they have a good night’s sleep. With schools starting later, students from middle school and especially from high school would get a lot more sleep. A study on high school students shows that only about 15% of students get the sleep that is required for the body to be healthy. “Over 20% of U.S. middle schools start the school day at 7:45 am or earlier” (The American Academy of Pediatrics).The AAP has also recommended schools to change their starting times so the students could get more sleep. As stated in Wake Up Call, “Teens need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep each night” (McKibben). This number varies between different people, but 8 to 9 hours is ideal for a student. Extra sleep for …show more content…
"Over time, sleep deprivation leads to serious consequences for academic achievement, social behavior, and the health and safety of our nation's youth"(Lofgren). Lofgren states that the lack of sleep will severely affect one’s focus and behavior. Schools starting later will help enforce that students should get enough sleep after being exhausted from seven hours of school and various school activities, and on top of that, hours of homework. With the lack of sleep from schools starting early, many kids’ academics have dropped down. “Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,000 students at eight high schools in Minnesota, Colorado,