Research & Position Statements on School Start Time
Start Time and Sleep Research Summary
A collection of references to important research about the adolescent sleep and school start time, elementary sleep and start time, and the many risks associated with sleep deprivation. It folds in data gathered for students at the Masconomet Regional School District and a handful of articles on the topic, but the focus is on published research.- March 20, 2017, UPDATED May 17, 2018
American Academy of Pediatrics
Recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am- August 25, 2014
Department of Pediatrics at Beverly Hospital
Supports recommendation of later start times to benefit students- March 3, 2017
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Recommends that middle and high schools push back start times to 8:30 a.m. or later. August 6, 2015
American Medical Association
Encourages middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for adolescent wellness. June 14, 2016.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Asserts that the school day should begin at 8:30 a.m. or later for middle school and high school students. April 14, 2017
Massachusetts Medical Society
Resolution supports starting middle and high schools after 8:30 a.m. December 5, 2015
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Backs American Academy of Pediatrics call to start middle and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m - September 2, 2014
National Association of School Nurses/Society of Pediatric Nurses
Consensus Statement on Early School Start Times. March 2015. Supports delaying school start times for middle school and high school students as proposed in the policy statement on School Start Times for Adolescents by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Adolescent Sleep Working Group, 2014)
American Psychological Association
While implementation may be complex, particularly when a change would bring a school’s schedule out of sync with neighboring systems, delaying school start times so that adolescents begin their instructional day later provides numerous benefits to the students and their broader community alike. -2014
American Sleep Association
Middle school and high school should not start before 08:00. A time closer to 09:00 or later would be preferable. February 7, 2016.
American Thoracic Society
School start times should be delayed to align with physiological circadian propensity of this age group. June 15, 2015
Middlesex League Superintendents
Joint Statement on Later School Start Times. Resolves to move all high schools in the league to a start time of 8 a.m. or later by 2018-19. March 2016.
National Education Association
Resolution C-3 (Adequate Rest) supports school schedules that follow research-based recommendations regarding the sleep patterns of age groups-2014-2015