Students at a New Jersey high school will be able to get a bit more sleep come the fall.
The school board in Ridgewood voted in favor of a plan to have classes start later in the morning than they currently do. The start time will be pushed back from 7:45 a.m. to 8:20 a.m., giving the teens 35 more minutes of sleep each schoolday.
"It will have a trmendous impact on students' well-being at Ridgewood High School," said Principal Jeff Nyhuis.
The new schedule will take effect in September, for the start of the next academic year. The changes would also cut a few minutes out of each class period, adding up to a day that's just 20 minutes shorter.
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Ridgewood will join other nearby districts like, Princeton, Chatham and Tenafly in delaying the start of classes for high schoolers, as science indicates that more sleep allows the teens to do better academically — and perhaps even more importantly, feel better mentally.
"There's lots of benefits alertness, there are fewer issues with depressive symptoms and that's a big crisis that we have nowadays," said sleep specialist Dr. Jonathan Tal.
The plan does not alter the start times for elementary or middle schools in the district.
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School start times in the Garden State have been much talked about in recent years. In 2022, a bill was introduced that would have required public high schools to start the school day no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
Start times are currently a patchwork around New Jersey. South Brunswick High School, one of the state's largest by total student body, starts classes at 7:40 a.m.; another of the largest schools, Union City HS, starts at 8:30 a.m.
Other districts have already gone to 8 a.m. or later.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has been outspoken on this issue for years. In 2014, the group published a policy statement saying there were clear mental and physical effects from starting schools earlier than 8:30 a.m.
