Teens do better with more sleep. Should Topeka high schools start later?

Rafael Garcia, Topeka Capital-Journal
·4 min read

School starts back up this week for Topeka USD 501, and for many of its middle and high school students, it will mean returning to an early morning routine and getting to school before 8 a.m.

But one recommendation from a citizens advisory group would have them start about an hour later, letting the teenagers get more sleep and be better rested for classes.

The Topeka USD 501 District Citizens Advisory Committee presented to the school board last week about its findings, which suggest that shifting school start times could lead to dramatically improved academic outcomes for students.

In Topeka USD 501, middle and high schools generally start at 7:50 and 7:55 a.m. respectively, while elementary schools generally start at 8:30 a.m.

Later school start times improve teens’ grades, attention and physical and mental health

A sundial shows the early morning hour outside of Topeka High School.
A sundial shows the early morning hour outside of Topeka High School.

Michael McGuire, a representative from the group and a cognitive psychologist at Washburn University, told the board that the group studied several pieces of research since the 1990s on teenager sleep patterns and needs.

They found studies have determined that teenagers, starting around puberty and peaking around age 17, begin showing a shift in their circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, staying up later into the night and also waking up later in the morning.

Many teenage students do go to sleep later but have to wake up even earlier once they get into middle and high school.

McGuire said the studies the group reviewed found harmful effects like the following:

• Lower grades.

• Reduced cognitive function, memory and attention.

• Greater risk of drowsy driving and car accidents.

• Decreased mental and physical health.

Comparatively, the review of research also found that later school start times for teenagers led to better sleep quality and duration, as well as increased academic performance, improved attendance and better mental health, McGuire said.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, middle and high schools around the country should not start classes earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Based on that research, the state of California last year began requiring that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and middle schools no earlier than 8 a.m.

Pushing back bell schedules is hard for many middle and high schools

Despite the research on the many benefits of later start times, secondary schools across the country have been slow to overcome the institutional inertia of making a significant schedule change.

Superintendent Tiffany Anderson mentioned to the board that past discussions with students on her superintendent’s advisory council showed that many are at least interested in a potential change.

However, one concern is that pushing back the school day also pushes back any after-school extracurriculars, which could interfere with competitions with other schools and some students’ work schedules.

The benefits of later high school start times are clear — improved grades, attendance and mental health. But making the change is often difficult, a Topeka USD 501 committee found.
The benefits of later high school start times are clear — improved grades, attendance and mental health. But making the change is often difficult, a Topeka USD 501 committee found.

Additionally, if elementary and secondary schools flipped start times, many younger students could be left without older siblings to watch over them in the midafternoon. Transportation would also be a big hurdle for Topeka USD 501 to overcome.

Support across district families for a shift in start times isn't clear. A survey of district parents and teachers returned a very limited sample size.

Results showed that more than 4 in 5 teachers reported sleepiness affecting students’ ability to engage and learn, although only 2 in 5 supported adjusting school start times.

Later start times won’t come to Topeka USD 501 high schools — yet

Since the report was simply a recommendation from the advisory committee, the Topeka Board of Education took no action on later start times for middle and high school students.

But board members indicated they were interested in studying a potential change more closely, particularly with a new, larger survey that could better reflect how district families felt about a chance in start times.

Even without a change in the school bell times, the committee also recommended increasing support and education for families on the importance of a healthy sleep schedule. Only about half of parents in the survey reported that their students slept more than 8 hours.

More: Topeka school districts hope to have classrooms fully staffed by the start of the semester

Randy Schumacher, a board member and local pediatrician, said he was in support of finding better alternatives to the current school schedules, even if the research does not have great suggestions on how school districts can actually make those logistical changes.

However, he emphasized that families also share some of the responsibility of making sure their students are well-rested and ready for school.

“When I see kids and they say (their phones) are their alarm clock or white noise to sleep, I say that there are $5 alarm clocks at Walmart that don’t have Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok for them to endlessly scroll through,” Schumacher said.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Public Schools considering later high school start times