Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find my student's school start and end time for the 2023-24 school year?
In November 2022, schools communicated to their families the new start and end times for next school year. All families can go to School Finder to view a school for their 2023-24 start and end times. Families can also view school start and end times on this webpage.
Why is the district changing school start and end times?
Currently, school start and end times vary across schools in Jeffco. Start and end times are different for schools at the same level (elementary, middle, and high) or within the same articulation area. For example, some of our elementary schools start as early as 7:35 a.m. while others begin their day closer to 9:00 a.m. These varying start times create different lengths of the school day and unequal amounts of in-classroom instruction time for students across the district. For example, some elementary students experience nearly half a year less instructional time than other students simply based on the length of their school day. This wide range of start and end times also makes it very expensive and difficult to provide efficient and cost-effective bus transportation.
In addition, research on adolescents show that healthy school start times result in improved student attendance, more students arriving at school on time, and improved graduation rates.
What are the benefits of later start times for middle and high school students?
Currently, most Jeffco high schools and middle schools start their school day before 8:00 am.
- Research shows that healthy school start times result in improved student attendance, more students arriving at school on time, and improved graduation rates. Healthcare professionals, mental health organizations, and sleep experts agree on the benefits of later start times for students.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports the efforts of school districts to optimize sleep in students and urges high schools and middle schools to aim for start times that allow students the opportunity to achieve optimal levels of sleep (8.5–9.5 hours) which results in improved physical and mental health, safety, academic performance, and quality of life.
What impacts will these changes have on schools (including athletics and activities), transportation, and childcare, and how is Jeffco preparing for them?
- Jeffco’s Transportation Department has been working to optimize bus routing across the district, identifying the necessary number of routes, drivers, and stops as well as identifying pick up and drop off times for students across the district. Bus routes were announced at the end of July. Some fine-tuning of route details may be finalized up until the start of school as families of eligible riders decide whether or not their student(s) plan to utilize transportation services. If you have questions about transportation services for your students, please contact the Transportation and Fleet Services team.
- Jeffco athletics and activities has been working with building athletic directors and coaches to identify concerns and needs with the shift in start and dismissal times. This information is being used to determine solutions to these issues.
- Jeffco child care providers are working to determine child care needs across the district as start and dismissal times change. Part of this work will include gathering input from families and staff who anticipate changes in their childcare needs as a result of the new start and end times for the schools their children attend.
- Jeffco district leadership is communicating to student employees and school principals to understand schools’ specific needs
Are there other school districts that have implemented this change?
Yes. Many of our neighboring school districts have either made similar changes to their start and end times, or are in the process of doing so. We are learning from their work as we prepare to implement this next school year. The districts include: Adams 12 School District, Boulder Valley School District, Brighton 27J, Cherry Creek School District, Denver Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools, and more.
I thought all the start and end times would be the same. Why are they different?
Like many districts across the country, Jeffco is experiencing a severe bus driver shortage. In the 2022-23 school year, we experienced a shortage of nearly 60 drivers, which led to route cancellations and inconsistencies in service.
In considering more healthy and equitable start and end times for the 2023-24 school year, new schedules have been built with our current staffing numbers rather than an expectation of previous staffing levels. This means that not all schools will have exactly the same start and end time.
Jeffco took this more flexible approach to start and end times to meet the goals of the project while ensuring that students could be best served by transportation.
How did the Healthy and Equitable Start Times initiative start and who was involved?
The initiative started through grassroots community engagement. In 2017, a group of parents inquired with the district about setting equitable start times for all schools to help ensure equitable learning in the typical school day.
The Start Times Task Force was formed and over the past six years, a diverse group of families, Jeffco Public Schools staff, and community members have studied the issue and explored options. In January 2022, the Jeffco Board of Education instructed the Superintendent to explore what it would take to launch healthy and equitable start and end times. The Task Force shared their findings (including an overwhelming response to a community survey) and recommendations and a district Implementation team was put in place to continue this important work.
View the board documents listed below that include presentations to the Board of Education around the need for new start and end times and the work involved to make this initiative a reality.