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- Florida House Bill 733: New School Start and End Times Beginning in August 2026
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Florida House Bill 733: New School Start and End Times Beginning in August 2026
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A new law requires middle schools to begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
A new state law, House Bill 733 (2023), requires that all middle schools begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and all high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. These new start times will also impact elementary schools. The changes will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year, starting August 2026.
Click here for school hours for the 2024-2025 academic year.
According to the law, sleep deprivation has health, safety, and academic impacts on middle and high school students, and there are benefits associated with a later school start time.
Click here for the House of Representatives Staff Final Bill Analysis. It includes the research used to support the legislation.
HB 733 Future New Start Times for Schools - School Board Presentation June 5, 2024
Watch the School Board Presentation here.Proposed Options for New Start Times Community Meetings Presentation
Timeline
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Date
Action
September 2023
Created New Start Times Workgroup consisting of representatives from District departments and school administrators
December 2023
Launched New Start Times Workgroup meetings
January 2024
Developed subcommittees: Research, Communications, School Based Scheduling, Before and Afterschool Activities, Routing, Choice Transportation, Courtesy Riders, and ESE/McKinney-Vento
February - March 2024
Individual subcommittees met to discuss the impacts
April 2024
Presented New School Start and End Times options to District Leadership and school principals
May 2024
Presented to the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee and external stakeholders (School Traffic Task Force and CTA)
June 5, 2024
Presented New School Start and End Times options to School Board
September - November 2024
Survey on New School Start and End Times open for stakeholder feedback
September - October 2024
Regional Community Meetings held
November 6, 2024
School Board Legislative Priorities Workshop
January - March 2025
Evaluate and incorporate community input
January 29, 2025
Joint School Board and Legislative Delegation Workshop
March 4 - May 2, 2025
2025 Florida Legislative Session
May 2025
Board approval of selected option (if the law has not changed)
June 2025 - August 2026
Prepare for changes and communicate to stakeholders
August 2026
Implement new start times
Survey on School Start and End Times
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This survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will provide the School District of Palm Beach County with valuable feedback as our community comes together to address a significant change in our lives. The survey is now closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why do we have to change the start times? Who decided this?
- The new start times are a requirement of HB 733, which states that all public and charter schools must adopt the following times:
- High schools may not start the instructional day before 8:30 a.m.
- Middle schools may not start the instructional day before 8:00 a.m.
- The new start times are a requirement of HB 733, which states that all public and charter schools must adopt the following times:
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When will this change take place?
- By law, new school start times must be implemented by July 1, 2026.
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Will charter schools have the same time as public schools?
- While charter schools are also required to adhere to HB 733, they do not have to start and end school at the same time as District-operated schools.
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Middle schools already start after 8:00 a.m. Why do elementary school times have to change if only high school times have to change?
- Our buses run tiered routes, meaning most buses transport students for all three levels (elementary, middle, and high) at varied times. If the start and end times for one level change, it will impact the transportation time for all levels.
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Why can’t elementary school start at 8:00 a.m., high school at 8:30 a.m., and middle school at 9:30 a.m.?
- The most efficient way to schedule school buses is to have them sequentially cover all three grade configurations, including elementary, middle and high school. To do otherwise would require significantly more buses and bus drivers. The schedule proposed and several similar options which have been considered, would create a conflict between drop-off and pick-up times. On average, each elementary school bus route takes 45 minutes, 70 minutes for middle school, and 65 minutes for high school. Students also need to be dropped off at least 15-20 minutes before the first bell to have time to eat free breakfast at school.
- For elementary school to start at 8:00 a.m., students must be dropped off by 7:40 a.m.
- For high school to start at 8:30 a.m., the bus routes must begin by 6:55 a.m. However, drivers will typically still be on their elementary school routes until 7:40 a.m.
- At the end of the school day, middle school students must be picked up at 4:05 p.m. However, drivers typically do not complete their high school routes until 4:35 p.m.
- To resolve these conflicts, the elementary schools would need to start earlier, and the middle schools would need to end later. This aligns with Option 1, which is:
- Elementary schools: 7:30 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
- High schools: 8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
- Middle schools: 10:45 a.m. - 4:50 p.m.
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Why can’t the School District buy more buses and get more drivers?
- Buying more buses will not solve the problem because we currently have a bus driver shortage. We are actively recruiting bus drivers. This is a nationwide problem.
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My child already has a long commute on a Choice bus. How will Choice transportation routes be impacted?
- Transportation currently offers more than 4,200 Choice bus stops. However, as we look to optimize routes based on new start and end times, Choice transportation will be impacted, and the number of Choice bus stops offered may be reduced. There is also a potential for longer bus rides for Choice students.
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What is the district’s plan for before and aftercare?
- The School District offers before and after-school care at most elementary schools and some middle schools. Some schools have waiting lists due to a need for more staff. We realize that changing the school start and end times will result in a need for additional before and after-school care, which has been identified as one of the significant impacts of this legislation.
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How will this affect after-school activities such as clubs and athletics?
- The change in school start and end times will impact extracurricular activities, and the District is discussing ways to address this issue. This may include moving some sporting events to different days and/or installing more lights on fields.
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What about extra sleep for elementary children?
- The legislation does not address elementary school students. However, some research material presented to the state legislators addressed elementary school students.
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What can I do to share my viewpoint?
- You can share your comments or concerns with your elected official. To find your representative:
- Go to findmyschool.info
- Put in your street address
- Scroll down and click on “Public Officials.” Here, you will find the contact information for your Florida State Senator, U.S. Congress Representative, and Florida House Representative.
- You can share your comments or concerns with your elected official. To find your representative:
