The high school start time for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday was pushed back this year from 8:30 to 8:35, following the change from 7:35 to 8:05 in the 2020-21 school year, and then from 8:05 to 8:30 last year. 

BHS has displayed a clear trend of pushing  the start time later over the past four years, which is supported by medical research. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), teenagers’ bodies are built to be on a “night owl” schedule.

AASM also suggests that a sufficient amount of sleep every night is crucial to teens’ physical and emotional well-being in both the short and long term, as well as to bolstering their academic performance. 

BHS Principal Chase explains that there are multiple factors that influence school start times.  

“Bus schedules also impact start times, as there are a limited number of buses and drivers and a lot of students,” he said.  Therefore, to accommodate everyone, buses have to be staggered. For the past couple of years, the district has been working on figuring out the most efficient setup.”

Chase agrees that teens’ need for sleep is an important factor.

“Studies show that high schoolers need more rest, and once they figured out the best most efficient way to run the buses, high school starting later than elementary became the best combination,” he said.

With this in mind, it makes sense to move school start times to later in the morning. However, not all students actually prefer later start times.

When asked what time she would choose for school to start, senior Hannah Plotkin had a surprising response. 

“5:00 a.m. I would go to bed at 5:00 p.m. and wake up at 4:00 a.m. and it would be glorious,” she said. “School would end at noon and I would have the whole day free.”

Students like Plotkin feel that with all their school activities and homework, they don’t get much free time to engage in hobbies and relaxation. 

Senior Julian Landes agrees. 

“I’d like school to start at 7:00 because then I’d have my whole day ahead of me to do stuff,” he said.

Although Plotkin and Landes are early risers, most students do not think like them. Seniors Vincent Crenshaw and David Steckner said that this year’s  start time  now works well for them, and fellow senior Mauricio Kliger said that he’d prefer school to start even later, at 9:30.

8:35 seems to be a good compromise, since it gives students a greater opportunity to get the recommended eight or nine hours of sleep while still abiding by regular workday hours.

If school started much later, it would be difficult for students to engage in most organized after-school activities, especially ones that aren’t school-sponsored. In fact, even the  8:35 start time has started to present difficulties for athletes and other students engaged in extracurriculars.

For students who are unhappy with the school start time, try to remember that the BHS schedule is like Cleveland weather: if you don’t like it, stick around for a bit. 

It’ll change.