Healthy & Equitable Start & End Times

In November 2022, schools communicated to their families the new start and end times for next school year. Go to School Finder to view a school for their 2023-24 start and end times.

• Research shows that healthy school start times result in improved student attendance, punctuality, and graduation rates. Healthcare professionals, mental health organizations and sleep experts agree on the benefits of later start times. 
• The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports the efforts of school districts to have start times that allow students to achieve 8.5 – 9.5 hours of sleep, which results in improved physical and mental health, safety, academic performance and quality of life.

• Jeffco’s Transportation Department identified pick up and drop off times and the necessary number of routes, drivers and stops. For questions about transportation services for your students, contact the Transportation and Fleet Services team. 
• Jeffco athletics and activities worked with building athletic directors and coaches to identify concerns and needs with the shift in start and dismissal times. 
• Jeffco child care providers determined child care needs across the district. Part of this work included gathering input from families and staff.
• Jeffco district leadership continues to communicate to student employees and school principals to understand schools’ specific needs.

Yes. Many of Jeffco’s neighboring school districts have made similar changes or are in the process of doing so. Other districts include: Adams 12 School District, Boulder Valley School District, Brighton 27J, Cherry Creek School District, Denver Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools and more.

Like many districts across the country, Jeffco is experiencing a severe bus driver shortage. In the 2022-23 school year, there was a shortage of 60 drivers, which led to route cancellations and inconsistencies in service. 

New schedules have been built with our current staffing numbers rather than an expectation of previous staffing levels. This means that not all schools will have exactly the same start and end time. 

Jeffco took this more flexible approach to start and end times to meet the goals of the project while ensuring that students could be best served by transportation.

The initiative started through grassroots community engagement. In 2017, a group of families contacted the district about setting equitable start times for all schools to help ensure equitable learning in the typical school day. 

The Start Times Task Force was formed and since 2017, a diverse group of families, Jeffco staff, and community members have studied the issue and explored options. In January 2022, the Jeffco Board of Education instructed the superintendent to explore what it would take to launch healthy and equitable start and end times. The Task Force shared their findings, community survey responses and recommendations, and a district implementation team was formed to continue this work.

View the board documents below, including presentations to the Board of Education around the need for new start and end times and the work involved to make this initiative a reality.

• February 7, 2019 Study Session
• February 5, 2020 Study Session
• August 2020 School Bus Logistics Bell Change Study Report
• April 14, 2021 Study Session
• January 12, 2022 Study Session
• March 3, 2022 Study Session

By making the length of the school day the same for students at the same level, all students are receiving the same opportunity to learn. In the past, students at Jeffco schools received unequal amounts of instruction based on their school’s start and end times. 

Research shows that healthy school start times result in improved student attendance, more students arriving at school on time, and improved graduation rates.

Healthcare professionals, mental health organizations, and sleep experts agree on the benefits of later start times for students. See these resources below: 

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Medical Association
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists
• American Psychological Association
• Society of Pediatric Nurses
• American Thoracic Society
• National Sleep Foundation

• Sleep Statistics for Students
• Sleep Statistics for Parents
• 8 Tips for Creating a Healthy Lifestyle for Kids
• Five Sleep Tips for Parents of Tired Teens
• Family Health Habits: Back to School
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• National Sleep Foundation
• Teen Sleep Hub: Information and Resources for Secondary Schools
• Teens and Sleep: Why teens have unique sleep challenges and tips to help them sleep better from the Sleep Foundation
• Sleep and Mental Health: A visual that shows the relationship between sleep and mental health
• Sleep is for the B.R.A.I.N.: A visual to help explain why sleep is so important

Ted Talks

• Teen Sleep: What Is It Good For? Absolutely Everything
•  Why school should start later for teens

• Later School Start Times: An article by the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine that discusses how many hours of sleep teens need, benefits to a later start time, tips to help optimize sleep, and more
• Later School Start Times More Popular, But What Are the Drawbacks?
• Later Start Times, Improved Outcomes a Wake-Up Call for One Colorado School District
• Starting School Before 8 a.m. Can Be Harmful to Teens, Sleep Scientists Say
• Colorado study finds later school start times lead to more sleep for teens
• A Parent’s Guide to Sleep for Kids: Healthy Habits, Benefits, Screen Time and More
• Is sleep a ‘magic pill’ for teen wellness in a mental health crisis?