The Average School Start Times in Every State: Getting Off of the Playground Equipment and into the Classroom

What time does school start for your children? Many students (and parents and teachers!) would agree that school start times are not ideal. In America, the average school start times are notoriously early — the average school start time in the United States is 8:03 a.m. In 42 U.S. states, 75% to 100% of public schools start before 8:30 a.m., which is the CDC-recommended start time. That doesn’t allow for much, if any, out on the school playground equipment. Experts agree that playing on commercial playground equipment, like that which can be found in schools, is beneficial for many different reasons, so what can be done to make it more possible? Early start times might not be the answer.

What State Has the Earliest School Start Times?

For both middle school start times and high school start times, Louisiana is the earliest state, at 7:37 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. respectively. The earliest elementary school start time is in Mississippi, at 7:40 a.m.!

The team at AAA State of Play has conducted an analysis of school start times in the United States to shed light on where students are rising the earliest and latest. Check it out:

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Here are the top five states with the earliest elementary school start times:

1. Mississippi: 7:40
2. South Carolina: 7:44
3. Alabama: 7:49
4. Hawaii: 7:53
5. Texas: 7:56

Here are the top five states with the earliest middle school start times:

1. Louisiana: 7:37
2. Delaware: 7:40
3. Mississippi: 7:44
4. Maine: 7:46
5. Alabama: 7:49

Here are the top five states with the earliest high school start times:

1. Louisiana: 7:30
2. Connecticut: 7:39
3. Massachusetts: 7:38
4. New Hampshire: 7:41
5. Nevada: 7:45

• Why Does School Start So Early? Hint: It’s Not to Get The Kids Early Recess Time on the School Playground Equipment

  Why do American schools start so early? And why does school start at 7 a.m.? These are common questions surrounding the extreme school start times in the United States. The main contributor isn’t what you might think and has little to do with getting the kids out and active on the commercial playground equipment as soon as possible. The reason for early school start times is due to busing. Many school districts use the same fleet of buses to pick up and drop off students across all grades, which creates the need to stagger the school schedules, often pushing average high school start times to early hours.

  Are High School Students Sleep-Deprived?

  Absolutely. More than 2 out of 3 high school-aged adolescents do not get enough sleep, and the problem is escalating.

  What Percentage of Students Are Sleep-Deprived Overall?

  A study by the National Sleep Foundation found that 87% of high school students and 59% of middle school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep daily on school nights.

  Why Should Schools Swing Towards Later Start Times

  There are many advocates for later school start times, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which points out that better health is one of the biggest benefits of later school start times. According to the CDC, a lack of sleep is associated with several health risks, including weight gain, drinking alcohol, smoking, using drugs, and poor academic performance. The CDC also strongly recommends time for active play, like playground swingsets, that promote activity in school children. Swing sets and playground structures that promote physical activity are excellent to combat the downsides of being sedentary in the classroom.

  Furthermore, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a recommendation that middle and high school students should start school at 8:30 a.m. at the earliest to give them enough time for rest. This opinion states that insufficient sleep is a significant public health issue that can severely impact the health, safety, and academic success of students. Optimal levels of sleep can protect physical health and mental health (such as by lowering rates of depression), reduce unsafe behaviors (drowsy driving), boost academic performance, and improve overall quality of life.

  Another neuroscience study has concluded that a 10 a.m. school start time improved the overall health and performance of students aged 13-16, leading to higher student attendance, better test scores, and improved sleep quality and duration.

  Why Should School Start Early? How Does School Start Time Factor into the Merry-go-Round of Life

  What about the benefits of early school start times? One of the biggest concerns about shifting school start times is conflict with parent work schedules. If school were to start around 9 a.m., many parents and caregivers would struggle to balance preparing their child for school and getting them there with getting themselves to work on time. Unless there is a before-care program that would take the kids out to the merry-go-round on the school playground before the start of the school day, many parents would struggle to accommodate a later start time.

  Transportation logistics is another issue: Many school districts use the same buses for all grades, creating a need for staggering the pick-up and drop-off schedules. Extracurricular activities may also suffer from later school start times — if school ends later, extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs would end later, too, cutting into time that could be spent studying, doing homework, and socializing.

  Here is some additional reading about early school start times’ pros and cons:

  • How Much Does a Later School Start Time Help (or Hurt)? Teachers and Experts Weigh In — We Are Teachers
  • How Would Later School Times Affect Sleep? — Sleep Foundation
  • Pros and Cons of Later Start Times — Everett Public Schools
  • Teens Get More Sleep, Show Improved Grades and Attendance With Later School Start Time, Researchers Find — University of Washington
  • Later School Start Times More Popular, But What Are the Drawbacks? — National Education Association
  • Three Reasons to Consider Later Start Times — Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  
  
  

  High School Start Times by State

  State	Average Start Time
  Alabama	7:57
  Alaska	8:26
  Arizona	8:03
  Arkansas	8:01
  California	8:04
  Colorado	7:52
  Connecticut	7:39
  Delaware	7:51
  District of Columbia	8:41
  Florida	7:51
  Georgia	8:07
  Hawaii	8:07
  Idaho	8:06
  Illinois	8:08
  Indiana	8:00
  Iowa	8:16
  Kansas	7:59
  Kentucky	8:06
  Louisiana	7:30
  Maine	7:51
  Maryland	Insufficient data
  Massachusetts	7:38
  Michigan	7:49
  Minnesota	8:21
  Mississippi	7:52
  Missouri	7:53
  Montana	8:12
  Nebraska	8:13
  Nevada	7:45
  New Hampshire	7:41
  New Jersey	7:51
  New Mexico	7:58
  New York	8:02
  North Carolina	8:11
  North Dakota	8:11
  Ohio	7:51
  Oklahoma	8:04
  Oregon	8:08
  Pennsylvania	7:48
  Rhode Island	7:46
  South Carolina	8:34
  South Dakota	8:14
  Tennessee	8:01
  Texas	8:07
  Utah	7:56
  Vermont	8:06
  Virginia	8:14
  Washington	7:59
  West Virginia	7:46
  Wisconsin	7:54
  Wyoming	7:53

  
  

  Middle School Start Times by State

  State	Average Start Time
  Alabama	7:49
  Alaska	8:15
  Arizona	8:11
  Arkansas	7:58
  California	8:11
  Colorado	8:03
  Connecticut	7:55
  Delaware	7:40
  District of Columbia	Insufficient data
  Florida	8:50
  Georgia	8:14
  Hawaii	7:56
  Idaho	8:06
  Illinois	8:14
  Indiana	7:58
  Iowa	8:11
  Kansas	8:01
  Kentucky	8:07
  Louisiana	7:37
  Maine	7:46
  Maryland	Insufficient data
  Massachusetts	7:52
  Michigan	7:56
  Minnesota	8:11
  Mississippi	7:44
  Missouri	7:50
  Montana	8:15
  Nebraska	8:05
  Nevada	8:05
  New Hampshire	7:56
  New Jersey	8:05
  New Mexico	8:13
  New York	8:00
  North Carolina	7:58
  North Dakota	8:30
  Ohio	7:50
  Oklahoma	8:11
  Oregon	8:17
  Pennsylvania	7:51
  Rhode Island	7:52
  South Carolina	7:59
  South Dakota	8:16
  Tennessee	7:56
  Texas	8:05
  Utah	8:01
  Vermont	8:05
  Virginia	8:11
  Washington	8:12
  West Virginia	7:58
  Wisconsin	7:49
  Wyoming	8:02

  
  

  Elementary School Start Times by State

  State	Average Start Time
  Alabama	7:49
  Alaska	8:31
  Arizona	8:13
  Arkansas	7:57
  California	8:16
  Colorado	8:14
  Connecticut	8:41
  Delaware	8:23
  District of Columbia	Insufficient data
  Florida	8:20
  Georgia	7:56
  Hawaii	7:53
  Idaho	8:31
  Illinois	8:30
  Indiana	8:19
  Iowa	8:26
  Kansas	8:17
  Kentucky	8:08
  Louisiana	8:04
  Maine	8:20
  Maryland	Insufficient data
  Massachusetts	8:35
  Michigan	8:29
  Minnesota	8:41
  Mississippi	7:40
  Missouri	8:26
  Montana	8:19
  Nebraska	8:14
  Nevada	8:48
  New Hampshire	8:37
  New Jersey	8:32
  New Mexico	8:06
  New York	8:32
  North Carolina	7:56
  North Dakota	8:31
  Ohio	8:37
  Oklahoma	8:14
  Oregon	8:22
  Pennsylvania	8:32
  Rhode Island	8:44
  South Carolina	7:44
  South Dakota	8:15
  Tennessee	8:01
  Texas	7:56
  Utah	8:32
  Vermont	8:06
  Virginia	8:22
  Washington	8:47
  West Virginia	8:10
  Wisconsin	8:19
  Wyoming	8:27

  Related: Playground equipment for schools

  The article was last updated on October 7, 2024 by author Kim Hart