New Study Indicates Later School Times Results in Improved Overall Wellness for Students

Delaying school start times gives students more time to sleep, resulting in overall improved wellbeing, according to a new study published by Oxford University Press. 

The July 2016 study aimed to discover the short-term and long-term impact a 45-minute school delay could have on the overall well-being of adolescents. The study consisted of 375 students in grades 7-10 from an all-girls’ secondary school in Singapore. The school delayed its start time from 7:30 to 8:15, recreating the schedule so that school did not end later. Researchers assessed students’ self-reports of total sleep time, sleepiness, and well-being before the schedule change, approximately one month after the delay and again nine months after the delay.