PORTLAND, Oregon — The Beaverton School District has announced all schools will have later start times beginning next school year. The district pointed to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics indicating that early school start times leave older students chronically short on sleep.
While gathering feedback from families of high school students last year, many asked the district to consider pushing back start times "to promote the health and well-being of older students," the district said on its website.
For the 2024-2025 school year:
- High school students will start an hour later at 8:45 a.m.
- Middle school students will start five to 15 minutes later at 9:30 a.m.
- Option schools, such as Arts and Communications Magnet Academy and the International School of Beaverton, will start nearly an hour later at 8:15 a.m.
The new start times for elementary schools are still being determined. The full schedule change has been posted on the district's website.
The district said it has been evaluating a change in school start and end times for the past several years.
"Research indicates that adolescents are biologically wired to stay up later than younger children and having to get up early for school results in them being chronically short on sleep," the district said. "The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified insufficient sleep in adolescents as a public health issue that impacts well-being, safety and academic success and has recommended later start times."
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has studied the topic for years and has recommended that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to allow students to get more sleep. A study published by the AAP in 2022 said later school start times was associated with "better overall developmental outcomes, longer sleep duration, and less negative mood."
California became the first state in the U.S. to mandate later start times. Middle schools can't start before 8 a.m., while high schools can't start before 8:30 a.m.