Hopkins Public Schools: School Start Times For 2022-23 And 2023-24

Press release from Hopkins Public Schools:

March 15, 2022

In November, the Hopkins School Board approved a recommendation to shift school start times for elementary and secondary students. After a thorough feasibility study, we have made the decision to implement a one-year model that brings secondary students to school later and splits elementary schools between an early start time and a later start time. We are engaging in this one-year model due to its low cost. Then, in the 2023-24 school year, we will make a final adjustment and start all elementary schools at the earliest start time.

School Start Time Schedule Summary

• Next year, Eisenhower, Glen Lake and Tanglen will begin at 7:50 a.m. and end at 2:20 with the first bus pick up time being close to 7 a.m.
• Next year, North Junior High, West Junior High and Hopkins High School will begin at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m. It is possible junior highs will have a later start time for the 2023-24 school year.
• Next year, Alice Smith, Gatewood and Meadowbrook will begin at 9:33 a.m. and end at 4:05 p.m., which is the same schedule they currently have.
• Beginning in 2023-24, all elementary schools will be on the same schedule, most likely beginning at 7:50 a.m. and ending at 2:20 p.m.
• VirtualEDU will continue to operate from 8 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. next year.

We are excited to offer our secondary scholars a later start time, which is backed by research that states starting school later is better for the adolescent brain. And as you may recall from our previous communications, our hope was to move all elementary schools to one consistent start time for next school year. When we looked closely at all factors involved, we discovered that making this transition next year was not cost effective. Proceeding with our current plan is cost neutral for next year. Then, when our sixth-graders move to middle school in 2023-24, we will have a new opportunity to align our entire system in the most cost effective way as well as meet our goal of serving our scholars and families well.

This press release was produced by Hopkins Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.