# US school start time legislation and impact

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-school-start-time-legislation-and-impact
> Updated: 2026-09-08T12:00:00.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

In New York, lawmakers introduced legislation to establish minimum start times for public schools, proposing that elementary schools start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and secondary schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The bills, Senate Bill S2631 and Assembly Bill A7398, were prompted by a shortage of school bus drivers causing increasingly early start times. Proponents argued that later starts are necessary to protect student health and REM sleep cycles.

In California, a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research evaluated the impact of Senate Bill 328, a 2022 law requiring similar later start times for middle and high schools. The research found a 13% increase in students receiving at least eight hours of sleep per night. The study also reported improvements in academic performance in math and English, as well as mental health benefits, including reductions in sadness and hopelessness among boys.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-08: California school start time mandate improves student sleep and mental health

A study on California’s Senate Bill 328 shows that later school start times have increased student sleep by 13% and improved mental health and academic scores in math and English.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/california-school-start-time-mandate-improves-student-sleep-and-mental-health

### 2026-08-12: New York lawmakers propose mandatory later school start times

New York lawmakers have introduced bills to mandate later school start times, citing student health concerns and a statewide school bus driver shortage.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/new-york-lawmakers-propose-mandatory-later-school-start-times

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Cite as: US school start time legislation and impact. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-school-start-time-legislation-and-impact