Every morning, students drag themselves into school at 8:00 a.m., walking into classrooms with fluorescent lighting and being expected to immediately absorb content thrown at them. Many have just argued with their parents in the car and will continue to have a negative mood with their friends. Getting up early just isn’t fun.
Like many others, I struggle to get out of bed in the morning. By the time I arrive at school, I am not fully awake. My attention is lacking, I don’t feel prepared to learn, and I often don’t have time for breakfast—which is considered the most important meal of the day. In that state, I am not the best student I can be. My peers know it, and teachers likely do too. No student can reach their full potential when their brain is only semi-engaged.
Research supports this concern. A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics examined how school start times affect sleep and development. It compared students starting school between 8:00–8:29 a.m. and those starting between 8:30–8:59 a.m. Students in the latter group experienced better moods, longer sleep duration, and improved outcomes in cognitive development, behavioral health, physical health, and socioemotional well-being.
Once I really dove into this topic, it became clear early-starts were leading to a bigger problem. Mary Carskadon, a professor at Brown University, studied students transitioning from a late-start middle school to an early-start high school. She originally believed morning light would help them adjust. Instead, when lights were turned off at 8:30 a.m., students could not stay awake for more than three minutes. She said it was like they developed narcolepsy—something that should not occur in healthy, well-rested individuals. This raises an important question: if students can barely stay awake, why are they expected to perform academically during that same time?
Sleep researchers argue that schools are “robbing adolescents of sleep,” and it’s hard to disagree. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers aged 13 to 18 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. For many students, this feels unrealistic. After-school commitments like sports and extracurriculars often run late into the evening. Students are not being given a fair opportunity to succeed academically when they are constantly racing against the clock.
These early start times are a problem. Westminster’s Middle School currently begins at 8:15 a.m., but for the 2026–2027 school year, the start time will be even earlier. For growing adolescents, even 8:15 can feel like waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. compared to an adult’s biological clock.
While this system still needs fixing, students can still take steps to improve their sleep. Waking up with natural sunlight helps the body’s biological clock, so eating breakfast near a window or outside can make a difference and is recommended. Adjusting schedules to complete homework earlier in the day or before evening activities can also help. Instead of sleeping in, taking a short 30–45 minute nap is a more effective way to recover from sleep deprivation without disrupting the sleep cycle. Avoiding technology at least 30 minutes before bed is crucial, as blue light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that helps humans fall asleep as well.
In the end, the issue isn’t just about feeling tired; it’s about student health, performance, and potential. If schools truly want students to succeed, they need to start by letting them sleep.