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Shifting School Start and End Times, K-12

Shifting School Start Times, K-12

The Fairport Central School District and the Board of Education are dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing of all Fairport students. To that effect, the Fairport Board of Education has resolved to change the beginning and end times of school days for grades kindergarten through 12 to better align with research about both the importance of sleep for adolescents and improved outcomes at school that correlate with later arrival times for older students. This shift will go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

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Three high school students sit at a table in a cafeteria

Two young students go down a playground slide

Five teenaged students smile at the camera through a frame that says "senior sunrise"

Why is the Fairport Central School District changing school start and end times?

The FCSD Board of Education and District administration is dedicated to aligning policy with best practices for the health and safety of Fairport students. According to the Monroe County Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is administered to middle and high school students every three years, 75% of Fairport students grades 9-12 report getting less than 8 hours of sleep each night. 42% of Fairport students grades 9-12 are getting less than or equal 6 hours of sleep. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, adolescents between 13 and 18 years old require 8-10 hours of sleep each day. 

Insufficient sleep can affect:

  • Academic functioning
    • Insufficient sleep is tied to:
      • Lower academic achievement
      • Impaired executive fuctioning
      • Higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness
  • Physical health
    • Insufficient sleep is tied to:
      • Cardiometabolic risk
      • Common illnesses
      • Headaches
      • Obesity
  • Emotional health
    • Insufficient sleep can lead to:
      • Poor impulse control
      • Risk for substance use
      • Behavioral problems
  • Safety
    • Insufficient sleep can lead to:
      • Drowsy driving crashes
      • An increase in sports-related injuries
      • An increase in risk-taking behaviors

How does changing school start times make a difference to student health?

Evidence shows that starting school after 8:30 a.m. for adolescents can lead to:

  • More sleep, lower weekday to weekend differences, and reduced sleepiness
  • Improvement in attendance and graduation rates
  • Reductions in drowsy driving and motor vehicle accidents
  • Improvements in adolescent alertness, mood and health

 

What could a “shifted” school start and end time schedule look like?

Below are examples of a “shifted” school day for our students K-12. PLEASE NOTE – this schedule is an example and subject to change as the District finalizes planning for the 2026-2027 school year.

Dudley –  7:45 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
Northside – 7:45 a.m. to  2:05 p.m.
Brooks Hill – 7:45 a.m. to  2:05 p.m.

Jefferson Avenue – 8:25 a.m. to  2:45 p.m.
Johanna Perrin –  8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Martha Brown – 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Fairport High School (grades 9-12) –  9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Timeline of Fairport's Development of Shifting School Start Times

 

2015 - Research and development of plans to shift school start times to align to research

2019 - Research and development of plans to shift school start times to align to research

 

December 2023 - Transportation Efficiency Study shared at the BOE Workshop

January 2024 - Board invitation for Public Comment on Start Times

January 2024 -  Administration of Family and Staff ParentSquare surveys on shifting school start times

January 2024 - Public comment on school start times at Board meeting

February 2024 - Messaging to families with preliminary results of ParentSquare survey

March 2024 - Board presentation on results of ParentSquare survey

May 2024 - Second Transportation Efficiency Study shared at Board of Education workshop

June 2024 - Expert panel discussion with URMC partners on school start times and student health and wellbeing

July 2024 – Fairport Central School District administrators meet with administrators from a local school district to learn about opportunities and pressure points in that district’s switch to earlier elementary school start times, later  middle school start times and later high school start times

September 2024 – FCSD adminstrators meet with local child care providers to learn more about local child care needs and structures