Obviously, the last thing anyone wants to think about after starting summer break barely a week ago is when you return to school, right?
However, some students and parents might wonder if this will be the school year they finally get a chance to sleep in. Unfortunately, no.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last month allowing school districts to comply with a 2023 law requiring later start times for high schools by filing a report detailing the steps they have taken so far and the costs — both financial and unintended — a later start time would incur, instead of making the change.
Under the 2023 law, a priority of then-House Speaker Paul Renner, high schools could not start earlier than 8:30 a.m., and middle schools could not start earlier than 8 a.m. Renner hoped to improve “academic scores and mental well-being.” The law is supposed to take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
Will Florida see later start times in the 2025-2026 school year?
No.
The 2023 change to Florida statutes requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to begin their instructional day no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The law was supposed to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Under this year’s legislation, a school district will be deemed in compliance with the law if, instead of changing their start times, they submit a report that includes all of the following:
A requirement from the 2023 law for school boards to inform their communities about the “health, safety, and academic impacts of sleep deprivation on middle school and high school students and the benefits of a later school start time” would remain in effect.
Why is Florida trying to change the law on school start times?
Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who sponsored this year’s bill (SB 296), said the 2023 law was “very well-intentioned and sought to ensure that our high-school students were well-rested.
Feedback from the school districts, however, revealed that implementing the change could cost the districts a lot to buy new buses and hire more already hard-to-find bus drivers since many bus routes currently complete middle and high school routes before picking up elementary school students.
One person quoted in the analysis pointed out that to make it work in their district, school start times would have to flip, “meaning many of our youngest students who live in the most rural areas will be outside in the darkness waiting on the bus.”
“To date, school districts across the state have begun their analysis of the impact of these required start times for the 2026 school year, and the feedback is overwhelming: A state mandate on school start times would present incredible challenges, financially and otherwise,” Bradley told the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee in March.
What problems have school districts faced in implementing later high school start times?
According to an analysis, districts attempting to comply with the 2023 law have run into:
When will the Florida school time bill go into effect?
DeSantis signed the bill on May 21 of this year, which will go into effect July 1.
What time do schools typically start in Florida?
According to an analysis of the bill, the current average start time for all Florida high schools is 7:45 a.m.
“Forty-six percent of high schools start before 7:30 a.m., and 19% of high schools start between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.,” the analysis said. “For Florida middle schools, the average start time is 9:03 a.m., with only eight percent of schools starting prior to 8:00 a.m.”
When can school start in Florida for the 2025-2026 school year?
Florida law prohibits schools from starting any earlier than Aug. 10.
For the 2025-2026 school year, Aug. 10 falls on a Sunday. Florida school districts set their start dates, but the earliest school can start is Monday, Aug. 11.
When does school start in Florida for the 2025-2026 school year?
How many days are kids in school in Florida?
Florida law specifies that for a public kindergarten student to be considered a full-time student, he or she must receive a minimum of 720 net hours of instruction or four hours per day, based on 180 school days, according to the Florida Department of Education
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Will Florida schools start later in August 2025? See what legal steps will affect times
Reporting by Samantha Neely and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
