School Start Time

A survey was conducted and sent to 115 Pottsgrove High School students. Out of those 115, 27.8% were freshmen, 38.3% were sophomores, 19.1% were juniors, and 14.8% were seniors. This survey was surrounded by the topic of our school. More specifically, the school start time for us. I created this survey to see what students here at Pottsgrove High School thought about the matter. 

I went ahead and asked the big question. I asked them what time they thought school should start and gave a list of options for them. 16.5% said that they would prefer school to begin at the same time which is 7am – 7:29am. 46.1% of students said that they liked the idea of school starting at 7:30am – 8:59am. The next 35.7% of students said 9am – 9:59am. And the last bit of students counted as the 1.7% said they wanted later than 10am. I was honestly surprised by how many students wanted school start time bumped the time up only a little from the original start time of 7:30. 

Why should school start later is the question I asked that received so many opinionated responses. 43.5% of students agreed with the statement of their minds being better operated in the later morning. 24.3% agreed that they are too tired that early in the morning. 10.4% of students then agreed with my last statement that they wouldn’t have to get up so early to get ready for school. 

I then asked why school should start later. I compiled all my data for this question alone to organize it better. 24% of students chose that they are too tired that early in the morning. 43% then chose that their minds and thinking patterns are better later in the morning. 10% of students said they didn’t want to have to get up so early to get ready. 60% of students agreed with all of the options. And lastly, 10% of students felt that school shouldn’t start later. 

As far as mental health, school can take a toll on students. So I asked them if it took a toll on theirs. 61.7% said yes, 13.9% of students said no, and 24.3% said they weren’t sure. This was basically the response I expected for this question. 

The last question I asked was questioning what time they went to bed as that can have great effect on how your morning could go. 4.3% of students said they go to bed between 7:00-9:00 pm, 52.2% of students said they go to bed around 9:01-11:00 pm, 40.9% go to bed between 11:01-1:00 pm, and lastly, 2.6% of students say they go to bed later than 1am. I honestly expected way more students to go to bed later than 1am.  

Everyone has their own point of views and their own things going on that help them decide how they feel on a topic. This survey really showed that the results were both surprising and expected.