ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools officials reviewed different scenarios of changes to school start times in hopes of potentially improving student academic performance during the school day.
According to school officials, the request was to look at moving high school start times closer to 8 a.m. and to see how that would affect transportation costs.
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Current bell times:
- High schools: 7:10 a.m. - 7:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
- Middle schools: 9:30 a.m., 3:50 p.m. - 4:06 p.m.
- Elementary schools: 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m., 2:15 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Research was gathered from eight different school districts across the state and nation. Officials said at least two of the scenarios examined the length of the school day as a factor.
Current length of the school day:
- High schools: 6 hours 45 minutes and 7 hours 10 minutes
- Middle schools: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Elementary schools: 6 hours 15 minutes
Bus routes were also a factor since not all eligible children ride the bus.
Officials said they found during a presentation and discussion that changing school start times would require further study.
Officials said other programs that would need to be considered in light of the school start time changes would be:
- Any elementary that is required to add an hour a day of instruction
- Special needs buses that require unique equipment
- Any special schools where the start time cannot be flexible
- Half day pre-K varying exceptionalities programs
- ESE high school transition programs
- Tech centers start times and shuttles from the high schools need to be changed
- For tech centers, the change also affects non-OCPS attendees
Click here to view the school district's entire presentation.