Asheville School Agrees with Education Secretary -- A Later Start to the School Day Has Given Its High School Students An Advantage

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Sep 06, 2013, 04:16 ET

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Sept. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On August 19^th when U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan started a debate on Twitter about rolling back high school start times to accommodate the sleep needs of teenagers, students at Asheville School already knew what he was talking about. Two years ago, the co-ed college preparatory boarding school in Asheville, N.C., formed a committee of faculty members to rearrange the school day in support of the latest research on teen brain development. The result was a new schedule that allowed Asheville School students to start the school day 30 minutes later. The schedule also supported earlier "lights out" for the 80 percent of students who live on the boarding school campus.

"The later start to our academic day has made a noticeable difference in both our classrooms and in our community," says Van Kussrow, Director of Studies and Registrar at Asheville School. "Teachers and students alike have consistently commented on the fact they feel less rushed in the mornings, while also feeling less exhausted throughout the day."

And so far students and parents in the school community report that they are happy with the change in schedule.

"The extra sleep is just key," said Otto Putzrath, a senior boarding student from Charlotte, NC. "I've had more of a chance to sleep and it's less overwhelming."

Alex Arroyo-Bridges, a senior boarding student from North Myrtle Beach, SC agrees.

"You definitely get more rest," she said. "I don't have to get up at 6:30 in the morning anymore. I have time to eat breakfast, get my head straight and talk to my teachers if I need to ... it's a good schedule."

"Asheville School decided to implement a later start to the school day in response to the current research on teenage brain development and to what many of our seasoned teachers have noticed throughout their careers: teenagers don't function well in the mornings in an academic setting," says Head of School Arch Montgomery. "We are noticing less tardiness and more productive classrooms. We feel the schedule change was the right change for our school."

Located in the mountains of North Carolina, Asheville School is a nationally acclaimed co-ed, college preparatory, boarding and day school, enrolling approximately 280 students from 20 states and 17 countries. Since Asheville School implemented a later start to the school day, recent graduates have been accepted to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Caltech, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, Davidson, NC State, University of Virginia, Emory, Duke, and Wake Forest, among others.