Sleep Education

American Academy of Sleep Medicine 

Find a Center
Use the following fields to locate sleep centers in your area.

Search radius:

Later school start times benefit students and the economy

Filed in
  • School
  • Teens
  • School Start Times

By Corinne Lederhouse  |  Sep 12, 2017
Email   Print

The health benefits of delayed school start times for students are well-documented. But what is the economic impact of starting school later?

Opponents argue that changing school start times would be expensive for parents and school districts. However, a recent study from RAND Europe shows that delaying school start times is cost-effective. Results suggest that starting school later could have a positive impact on the U.S. economy.

Researchers performed an economic analysis (in 47 U.S. states) of a state-wide school start time of 8:30 a.m.

“A small change [in school start time] could result in big economic benefits over a short period of time for the U.S.,” said research leader Marco Hafner in a news release. “In fact, the level of benefit and period of time it would take to recoup the costs from the policy change is unprecedented in economic terms.”

The researchers used a macroeconomic modelling approach. Their analysis estimated the benefits of improved academic performance of students and reduced car crash rates. The model projected changes to the U.S. economy over a 20-year period.

Study results suggest that the benefits of later start times outweigh the immediate costs. After only two years, the study projects an economic gain of $8.6 billion to the U.S. economy. After 10 years, the study shows that delaying school start times would contribute $83 billion to the U.S. economy. The 20-year projection shows an average annual gain of about $9.3 billion each year to the U.S. economy.

The study didn’t take into account other effects from insufficient sleep, such as increased obesity and mental health problems. As a result, the reported economic benefits from delaying school start times could be even higher.


  1. 1 robby 09 May
    this is great infomation !!! I will tell other people about it.
  2. 2 Lucas F 26 Oct
    we need to start talking to bigger names about this to put in effect!
  3. 3 Hunter 12 Oct
    I liked your artical and one thing that would be good is what and how would the 83 billion dollars come out.
  4. 4 teacher 19 Apr
    I agree with late start times. It would have multiple impacts of the economy and really help with teenage obesity, depression, and educational achievements. I fully support changing school times to a later time. Even if that change was as small as 30 minutes later. It would have so many benefits. Thank you for informing the public of this issue.