LAKELAND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Florida school districts are preparing for a major change in school start times that will take effect at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year.
The change, which was put in place due to a new state law, says that no high school classes can begin before 8:30 a.m. and no middle school classes can begin before 8 a.m. This change could take teachers, administrators, parents, and students some time to adjust to, but it’s one that New Beginnings High School in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Fort Meade fully supports.
School districts still have two years before they must abide by the new start times, but some have already begun. In early 2024, the Tampa Bay Times reported that 15 out of the state’s 67 school districts had already made the change.
When they passed the law, Florida lawmakers said they believed that the later school start times would help students get more sleep, which can result in better physical and mental health.
The American Psychological Association has been advocating for later school start times for years, citing research that shows earlier bell times lead to a big discrepancy between the amount of sleep teens get and the amount they need.
The association says that adolescents should optimally be getting a little more than nine hours of sleep per night. Yet, a 2014 study from the National Sleep Foundation showed that only 10% of students between the ages of 15 and 17 were getting that much sleep.
The APA has said that some of the benefits of later start times include increased attendance, decreased disciplinary actions, decreased car accidents involving teen drivers, increases in GPAs and test scores, and an increase in the quality of interactions students have with their families.
Other states, such as Wyoming, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Connecticut, Colorado, etc., have already made this switch, and Florida is about to do the same.
New Beginnings High School in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Fort Meade has always known that later school start times provide major benefits to students.
Since its inception in 2011, NBHS Staff members have worked what many would call a typical workday for many private-sector and even public-sector employees — from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students then have the option to attend school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This flexibility allows students to get the sleep they need at night and to attend school in the time period that works best for them. Those who do better in the morning can still attend the earlier session, while others who might not do well in the morning — or who work late at night or early in the morning — can attend the later session.
New Beginnings High School always has the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all students in mind and believes that the later start times that the state of Florida now mandates will help support all students better.
For more information or to apply, please visit newbhs.net.
About New Beginnings High School
Launched in 2011, New Beginnings High School is a non-traditional charter school based in central Florida that offers personalized academic options for students aged 15-24 who want to earn their high school diploma. New Beginnings High School, with campuses in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Fort Meade, serves over 1,000 students.
