Students are tired. Every morning, they are forced to wake up before the sun rises and start their day. It is an exhausting cycle, especially when most students aren’t able to get an adequate amount of sleep due to arriving home late from sports or other extracurricular activities. The average person needs 8-10 hours of sleep which means students would have to go to bed unrealistically early in order to reach that amount by 5-6 am. Many students also don’t get to rest on the weekends because they have early or late games/meets.
Sleep deprivation affects concentration, memory, and overall academic performance. Not to mention the devastating impacts it has on students’ mental and physical health. In a 2018 study by the University of Washington, researchers found that students whose start time was delayed, had a 4.5 percent higher final grade, compared to students who took the class when school started earlier (neaToday). There is absolutely no reason school should start before 8 when it is causing that much damage to students.
There is some hope for Florida highschool students however. House Bill 733 mandates that Florida middle and high schools start after 8 am. Luckily it was passed, but it doesn’t go into effect until the beginning of 2026. Another way to combat exhaustion is signing up for a virtual class for your first period. My good friend, Delaney, has a first period FLVS class, “I used to wake up before 6 am and rush to school every day. I felt exhausted by 3 pm and did not have motivation to do my work after school. Having a virtual class for my first period changed everything.” Even having an extra hour or so of sleep makes a difference.
My friend, JT, attends a private school which starts at 8:30 am, so he gets up by 7:30 am. He told me, “I like to sleep in so I can be more productive throughout the day.” Simply starting school and hour later allows students to get the rest their bodies need so they do not experience an afternoon slump. Additionally, in places like Japan, the practice of taking short naps during the work day or “ineurmi” is culturally accepted. This helps them to recharge their batteries for the rest of their day. Even though this practice may seem a little extreme for Americans, rest is so important, especially for students who are still growing.
