Countless credible studies have found that there are clear correlations between the time when school begins and student test score increases. A Brown University study found that due to different circadian rhythms, as children age it becomes harder to fall asleep earlier. Still, most schools in the U.S. start at 8 a.m., and 20% of students start at 7:45 or earlier. Teens get fewer than 7 hours and 15 minutes of sleep per school night on average, despite requiring more sleep than their adult teachers, around 8 1/2 to 9 hours on average.
Government incentives to push high school and middle school bell times forward could dramatically increase standardized test scores, information retention, and student engagement, all without long-term reform strategy or policy overhaul.