Would students do better if school started an hour later? Students and staff share how they fell is school were to start later then 8:30.
By: Ali Sharifzade
Would students do better if school started an hour later? In California, a statewide law now requires most high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m and middle schools no earlier than 8:00 am. A shift that began in the 2022-23 school Year.
Ethan Orth, ’26, says the classes he gets the most tired in are his first and sixth periods.
When asked why he feels most tired during those times, Orth explained that the main reason is having AP Calculus as his first period.
However, Orth believes that the school start time should not change. “It’s fine as it is right now,” he said
Spanish teacher,
Ms. Elizabeth Browning.
Picture taken by Ali Sharifzade
Ms. Elizabeth Browning, a Psychology and Spanish teacher at our school, said, “In the morning, I have AP Spanish and actually see kids be pretty alert.They’re always on task. I notice students are the most tired after lunch, during fifth period”
What does Browning think about students’ need for sleep? She says, “There’s a study that shows high school students need 8 – 10 hours of sleep each night because they are developing,”
What does Browning think about changing the school start time? “It’s perfect now, most students didn’t change when they go to bed, so they ended up gaining an extra half hour of sleep,”
Ali Sharifzade
Tags: late start, morning, opinion, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, rhs, start time, visalia ca
