What is the best time of day for school to start?

There are studies that say that later start times are actually better for students and several Michigan school districts are already on board saying they have seen the impact.

School starts next week for many students across Michigan, while some Back-to-School alarms will notoriously ring early.

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"My kids wake up early anyway, around 7 a.m. at the latest," one woman told us.

Some students will head into school at a later start time. Districts like Dearborn Public Schools and Novi Public Schools made the switch in 2021.

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"9 a.m. is perfect time, I believe for most of the people," said Dearborn parent Naseer Murshed.

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"I can get more stuff down, so it’ll be easier that’s for sure," said sixth grader Sophie.

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“the bus comes pretty much from 8:30 to 9 that works for me”," said Novi parent Divya Gandala. “Especially for me I can stay a little bit time with my daughter, feed her proper food before she goes."

Dearborn Public Schools made the switch during virtual learning of the pandemic years and it stuck.

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“We’ve had a lot of success with it," said Communications and Marketing Director David Mustonen. "It seems like students like the later times as well. They seem to be more alert at the high school level.”

And they're not surprised that the idea of a later start is constantly getting attention.

“this conversation about later start times really goes back almost 20 years," David said. "Parents, students, educators have all kind of been talking about moving start times to a time that is better in line with student rhythms and their sleep patterns."

Research shows the majority of teenagers aren't getting the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep. With most public high schools in the U.S. starting their days at 8 a.m. T he American Academic of Pediatrics recommends middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later.

And still, Dearborn Public Schools wants it to be clear navigating schedules to make it all work is not a quick switch.

“Those are all real concerns and real scheduling conflicts and real logistical conflicts that school districts have to weigh out when they’re looking at making these changes," David said.

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