School Start Times

[disykat]

Yes, the research (and it's been around for decades) clearly proves that teenagers just aren't at their best early in the morning, but our schools do exactly what you're describing. We do it for several reasons:

- We have to have staggered start times. Bus drivers are simply impossible to hire, so they all drive multiple routes: A high school route, then an elementary route . . . or a middle school route, then an elementary route.

- High schoolers -- and their parents -- want them to be out early in the afternoon so they can 1) attend sports practices and make it to away games. 2) hold down after school jobs.

Exactly. Everyone knows. It doesn't make the change any easier.

Here junior high goes first at 7:15, high school at 7:45. elementary schools either 8:15, 8:45, or 9:16 depending on which area of town. It's all based on how the bus routes can work efficiently. I was so glad when jr high was over - jazz band was at 6:30! We've still got zero hour jazz band in high school, but at least it starts at 6:50.

 

[Planogirl]

In our area the times have been close but the older kids definitely go in later. It's going to become even later since the school district is cutting back by using fewer buses.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm not sure of the public high school start time, but the bus picks up students at the bus stop near my house around 6:20 am! I think that is outrageously early!
The middle school students gt picked up around 7:20 am, and the elementary around 8:30 am.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

In Maryland the order went:

High School
Middle School
Elementary School

Here in Georgia the order is:
Elementary School
High School
Middle School

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

In my area, school start/stop times vary because some schools share busses.

For example, our elementary school shares busses with the next closest elementary school. Our school is 7:45 - 2:15 and the other school is 8:30 - 3:00. Our middle school and high school do the same thing. The high school is 7:40 - 2:25 and the middle school is 8:10 - 3:15.

Our whole district seems to be like this. Some share busses but it's also my understanding that each individula principal can set the times for their school.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My son goes to a private school and they have advisement at 8:20 but classes do not start until 8:40 and get out at 2:20, but have to stay in the school until 2:45.

They are to use advisement to get any school information, hand in paperwork, get missed work, etc. they do attendance and doors are locked at 8:20 and you have to be buzzed in at that point to get into school.

At 2:20 seniors can leave and they stager 10 minute intervals, so juniors can leave at 2:30. Students use this time to get extra help from teachers, make up missed assignments etc. Teachers can requests students and they must show up at that class.

Next year they are doing some sort of block schedule and they will be out early every 3rd or 4th day. It's going to be a nightmare for bussing!

 

[JVL1018]

I've heard that the older kids should start later as well, but they don't do it here.
My town:
Elementary: 8:30-3:10
Middle and high school:8:00-2:55

Busing is only for special ed and bilingual students, so no need to stagger times to utilize buses.

 

[tvguy]

K-12 all ride the same buses here.
.

Boy, some parents here would have a fit here if they did that. They added 7th and 8th grade to a K-6 school and there was a big protest from folks concerned the the K-3 kids would be corrupted by the 7th and 8th graders. I can only imagine if they put Kindergarteners on a bus with 12th graders what parents would say. Of course, many of the K-3 kids had siblings in 7th and 8th grade so there were around each other after school.

High school here is 8 to 2:30, Elementary school is 830 to 3, and Junior high is 9 to 330, but the issue here is all about buses. If any of the schools had the same hours, they'd have to buy more buses and hire more bus drivers.
My kids went to private school, elementary was 9 to 4, junior high was 8:30 to 330, and high school was 8 to 3. Private schools always seem to have longer instruction days.

 

[staley7580]

Im not sure what time the jr. High starts.. But i have kids in high school and elem. High school starts at 7:10.. She catches the bus at like 6:30. Elementary is next, and they start at 8 and get out at 2:30. High school gets out at 2:10.i know jr high is after these two. Just not sure what time.

 

[maslex]

Our high schools start at 7:30 and get out at 2:10

Our middle school starts at 8:30 and gets out at 2:40

Our elementary schools start at 9:00 and get out at 3:30


I've always liked the way it was set up. I have one in the tech high school and one in his last year of middle school. He's going to the public high school next year.

 

[DawnM]

It is the opposite here.

Elem starts at 7am , ends at 2pm
Middle school starts at 8:40, ends at 3:40
High School starts at 8:00, ends at 3:00

The reasoning for high school getting out before middle school was for afterschool activities. They didn't want kids getting home after 6:30pm.

Dawn

 

[BKMETV]

All schools here start at 9ish...give or take 10 minutes.

 

[jodifla]

The proposal is next year for 4 tiers, in order to slash the number of bus drivers and routes....

HS- 7 a.m.
MS 7:50 a.m.
3 Elementarys - 8:30 a.m.
Other 3 Elementarys; 9:10 a.m.

 

[SaraJayne]

Boy, some parents here would have a fit here if they did that. They added 7th and 8th grade to a K-6 school and there was a big protest from folks concerned the the K-3 kids would be corrupted by the 7th and 8th graders. I can only imagine if they put Kindergarteners on a bus with 12th graders what parents would say. Of course, many of the K-3 kids had siblings in 7th and 8th grade so there were around each other after school.

I've never heard of a school district that had seperate buses...what a waste of time and resources (gas and money). It's just how it's done in rural WI.

 

[robinb]

In our school district elementary school starts at 7:45 or 8:30 and middle school starts at 7:35. High school starts between 8:15 - 8:45 (depending on the school), but that won't matter. Swim team practice is usually at 6:00 am so my DD be up early in the fall and I'm sure she'll pick a spring sport too.

ETA: The different elementary school start times are so they can share buses. Once the bus drops off the early start kids they will go and pick up the late start kids. Free school buses are only for elementary kids. Once they are in middle school there are special Metro bus routes that cover the middle schools for kids that can't walk, bike or get a ride from family/neighbors. All the high schools are on main bus routes.

 

[powellrj]

The school my DD goes to now has a starting time of 7:50 for elem and 7:55 for middle/high school. She goes to a small county school and the schools are right next to each other. They let the grade schoolers off first and the middle/HS off last and then park the buses. In the evening its the opposite, the grade schools get on first and the buses drive over to the middle/HS and pick those kids up.

Like I said its a small school system so all the kids ride the same buses.

When she went to the city school, the bus picked her up 2 blocks away at 6:40 and school started at 7:30. The school was less than a mile from our home so I just took her on my way to work. They changed the start times for next year to 7:30 for middle/HS and 9:00 for grade school.

 

[lajones81]

This is inspired by the bedtime thread. People have mentioned that their older kids tend to start school earlier in the morning than their younger kids.

I've actually read that this pattern is the opposite of what research suggests, but that parents like it because the older kids are already home in the afternoon to get the younger ones off the bus.

So -

Is is this the pattern where you live? And would you be upset if it changed, so the little kids went earlier, and the older ones could sleep in?

Or does your school accomodate the research, and do you like it that way?


Personally, I wish the little ones went earlier. DS would never sleep in at that age anyway, but sometimes wishes he could now.

Elementary - 8:25am
Middle - 7:45am
High - 8:05am

 

[golfgal]

I've never heard of a school district that had seperate buses...what a waste of time and resources (gas and money). It's just how it's done in rural WI.

Running rural bus routes is different though. In towns/cities, it isn't any more costly to run multiple routes for elementary, middle and high schools. For our bus route, for example, they would still need to send 3 buses along the route to pick up all the kids. Actually, it saves money because they run one driver along the route 3 times vs sending 3 drivers along the route once.

When we lived in a rural area the buses all had k-12th graders on the bus. It really wasn't an issue.

 

[HelenaB]

DS10 and DD9 both start at 0830 which is quite early for the UK - it's usually nearer 0900.

They both finish at 1600 which is quite late for here - usual time is around 1530.

I'm quite surprised at how early schools start in the US!

 

[scrapquitler]

In my town:
High schools: 7:30 - 1:55
Middle Schools: 8:05-2:30
3rd-5th grade elementary schools: 8:35-3:15
k-2nd grade elementary schools: 8:55-3:35