Ever wish you could squeeze in another 20 minutes of sleep in the morning?
For Nashville high schoolers, that will be an option as school kicks off Aug. 11 and later start times take effect across Metro Nashville Public Schools. While high schools will start 20 minutes later than last year, elementary schoolers will start 10 minutes later. However, middle school schedules will not change.
The day will now run from 7:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. for high schools and 8:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. for elementary schools. The MNPS board unanimously approved the change in February after a three-month process that included an in-depth study, focus groups, town halls and two surveys sent out to MNPS parents, staff, students and the surrounding community. Survey respondents
overwhelmingly favored later high school start times.
MNPS leaders have discussed moving start times later multiple times over the years to no avail. The topic came back into focus as Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell made it one of his priorities during his 2023 campaign.
Research widely shows the benefits of later start times, even if they are as small as a half-hour. A federal review of dozens of studies and reports in 2017 showed later start times boosted how much sleep students get and corresponded with improved attendance, less tardiness, better grades, fewer car accidents and fewer students falling asleep in class. O'Connell has also championed the positive mental health effects of sufficient sleep for young people.
Until now, the district had the earliest high school start time in the state and was also among the earliest in the nation.
Even though the change is relatively small, city and district leaders said they hope the new schedule shows people that it's possible to make progress.
"Even modest adjustments can make a real difference, and this plan moves us forward in a thoughtful, responsible way," MNPS Director Adrienne Battle said in a release after the February vote.
O'Connell also chimed in after the meeting.
"I'm thankful to the board and community for their thoughtful decision because this will improve the supportive learning environment for all our students," he said in the release. "This shows that we can take a step in the direction of the evidence, and sometimes that ability to make a change is important to demonstrate to ourselves."
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MNPS high schools to start later on Aug. 11 after years of debate
