Start Time for U.S. Public High Schools

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Data Point report today, entitled Start Time for U.S. Public High Schools. This report describes the average start time for public high schools in the United States during the 2017-18 school year by school characteristics and state, including the following findings:

• A higher percentage of public high schools in cities (26 percent) reported a starting school time of 8:30 a.m. or later than schools in suburban, town, and rural communities (18 percent, 13 percent, and 11 percent, respectively).
• A higher percentage of charter schools (24 percent) reported a starting time of 8:30 a.m. or later, compared to traditional public schools (17 percent).
• High schools in four states (Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire) reported their average starting time as being before 7:45 a.m.
• High schools in the four states of Alaska, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina, and the District of Columbia reported their average starting time as being 8:16 a.m. or later