What time do your elementary schools start?

[Philly Mom]

For those that start before 8, do your kids get enough sleep? How do people manage kids getting home early and early dismissals?


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[essnce629]

DS2's elementary school starts at 8:05am. Normal dismissal is 2:40pm with early dismissal at 1pm on Thursdays. I'm a SAHM so I do pick up every day on time. DH and I both do drop offs in the morning since the kids' schools are in opposite directions (DS1 is in high school).

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[georgiegirl]

8:50-3:40. And I still have to forcibly wake up DS2 at 7:45. He doesn’t go to bed until 8:30 at the earliest and sometimes not until 9:15-9:30 if my older kids have late activities.


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[BDKmom]

Our school is 8:15-2:45. Bus picks my kids up at 7:18 and drops off around 3:05. I stopped working when DS started kindergarten so that I could get them off to school and be home to help with homework and stuff. They go to bed by 8 and up around 6:30. Most working parents I know can get the kids on the bus before they leave for work and do some kind of after school care.

[DualvansMommy]

8:41 for bus pickup which is my boys last stop before getting to school. DH and I split off doing morning bus duty depending whoever is working from home that day, ditto for early dismissal and normal bus drop offs. We’re lucky in that respect in the sense that even with 2 FT working parents, there’s always one of us home M-F between our work schedules.


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[twowhat?]

Ours starts at 7:40am. It's early but we do bedtime early...mine are in 5th grade and we still do an 8:30pm bedtime (in Kindergarten it was 7:30pm and around 3rd grade-ish it was 8pm). It probably helps that my kids have ZERO interest in any sports, so we are spared from things that could potentially run late into the evenings. They do one extracurricular volunteer thing at school that only takes 20 minutes every day after school, and they do piano (lessons on the weekends) and that's it. No one has any desire to add more activities, LOL. My kids do VERY POORLY when they don't get enough sleep, so we simply have to make sure they get enough sleep, and they do not protest it! They are tired at bedtime and actually want to go to bed! On the occasional day we have a school activity that runs later into the evening, they are WIPED. Yesterday was the homecoming parade, which they participated in...it was finished by 7:30pm, we were home by 8:00pm, and they were showered and in bed wanting to turn out the lights at 8:30pm. Alarms are set for 6:30am - gives them long enough to get up, slog through breakfast, throw their backpacks together, and walk to school (10 min away). They like to be at school at 7:30am when the "first bell" rings because it gives them a few min with friends until the 7:40am "official school start" bell rings.

I put all the early dismissal dates on our family calendar so that we're prepared for it. Both DH and I work from home but travel frequently, and we have parents who live nearby who will help when we need. We also have friends in our neighborhood that we could call on in a pinch. 4th grade is when we started letting the kids walk straight home from school - before that they went to aftercare because there was no way we could finish work while they were home (they were too needy/distracting!). But now that they are older, I can 85% trust them to leave me alone to finish work, to get their own snack, to start homework if they have any, etc. If I worked out of the home, I would be comfortable with them coming home and being by themselves for a couple of hours until I got home at 5th grade. Before then, I would have to put them in aftercare. That's what the WOTH FT moms do here and the aftercares tend to have kids all the way up to until about 4th grade when they become old enough to go home alone after school (and I know there are a lot of parents who are totally comfortable with letting even younger kids come home alone).

[WatchingThemGrow]

ours opens at 7:25!!

we're out of our zone, so i have to drive them. I'm subbing now, at the school, but normally I'm there and just have them walk to a house down the street from the school.

[ArizonaGirl]

Up until last year it was 7:30 to 2:30 and I work from 5:30 to 2:00. Early dismissal Wednesday at 12:30. It was great, I picked them up after work and we had plenty of time for homework, therapy, and extra curricular activities.

This year we start at 8:50 and get out at 3:50, with early dismissal Wednesday's at 1:50. I hate it with the passion of 1000 Suns. I have to pull my daughter out early every Tuesday for dance because it starts at 4 and I can't get her there by 4. All Dr appt I have to pull them early because the Dr seem to only see patients from 9 to 4.

Homework is awful because it's practically dinnertime when we get home.

In the morning they go to my parents house at 730 so DH can get to work on time, so they still have to get up by 6:30.

Did I mention I HATE this schedule...:32:

[AnnieW625]

Dd1’s tk-8 school starts at 9 am on Mondays and 8 am the rest of the week. They get out at 3:00. Early dismissal days are 12:30. She is in 8th grade and takes the bus home 95% of the time, the other 5% of the time she gets a ride home with another friend. I have every other Friday off so if I can manage I pick her up. Prior to 7th grade she went to after care at her school. Dd1 is in 8th grade. There are a few tk kids who only go to school until 11:30, but most stay until 3.

Dd2’s tk-5 school starts at 8 am and ends at 2:10 pm. Thursday is early release day and they are released at 1. She goes to the YMCA. The tk and k classes have a half day schedule as they don’t have all day kindergarten.

Dh handles drop off and I pick up.

We get home by 5:30 on MWF and by 6:30 on TTH when Dd2 has been going to Kumon, but this is her last month of Kumon so it will be 5:30 M-F, but yes that is almost dinner time for us so sometimes if Dd2 isn’t done with her homework it can make for a long night. We have been stressing how important it is for her to get it done at the Y or at school during the school day.

Bedtime is 9 pm lights out for Dd2. I would be happier if it was 8:30 though and I hope that will be the case once we get in the habit of not having to do nightly Kumon (as it has gotten to be too much for her, which is why we are stopping). Dh wakes her up at 6:30 and she is still a pain to get up so I know she needs more sleep.

Dd1 is good about managing homework without us and some night she is still doing it at 9 pm which ends up being a 10 pm bedtime. I am okay with that as long as she spends some time reading before bed. Lights must be out at 10:30. She has never had a problem getting up at 6:15 when her alarm goes off.
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[carolinacool]

First bell is 7:20 and the late bell is 7:40. DH takes him in the morning, and I’m sure he drags into his classroom around 7:39. Lol DS does aftercare at the Y, which is about a five-minute bus ride away. Our school system hasn’t done early release in a couple of years now, but if they did, he would just go from the school to the Y.

DS is in fourth grade, and this year it’s been lights out around 9 PM. We pull him out the bed around 6:55. I think he gets enough sleep, but there’s not really any other option. By the time I pick him up from aftercare it’s 6 PM. Right now he’s just playing soccer at the Y, so it’s only one practice a week. When AAU basketball starts in either the winter or early spring, he’ll have practice two or three times a week. Then we’re squeezing in dinner and whatever homework he didn’t finish at aftercare. It’s a pretty packed three hours.

[gymnbomb]

Ours does not start before 8, but I have to leave the house with the kids at either 7-7:15 or 7:45 depending on my work schedule for the day. DS is in kindergarten and on my early days he goes to before care, and my “late” days we drop his sister at her daycare class then I put him on the bus (we use our daycare as his bus stop whether he needs before and after care that day or not). He goes to bed at 7 most nights, and wakes up easily in the morning. A lot of mornings he is awake but still relaxing in bed when I go to get him.

I think it is a lot easier for him to get enough sleep at this age since he will still go to sleep early. It will be a bigger challenge when he hits the tween years.


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[Dayzy]

My kids start at 7:45 and go until 2:40. We have 1 early dismissal per month on a Friday, always the first Friday so parents can plan accordingly. The aftercare at the school also allows parents to register in the beginning of the year for an "As needed" student and you just have to give them a 2 day notice, so this works for the parents who can't do 1/2 day at work.

[LD92599]

8:35 start for k-5. I drop off by 8:20

[TwinFoxes]

We have a very late bell schedule. 9:10am. Frankly, it's too much time in the morning, especially since we don't do screens. And in the winter when they get home from school there's only about an hour of daylight if that.

[Mommy_Mea]

My kids are early risers, up between 6 and 6:30. My work days, they are at school by 7am and stay for aftercare. Now that DS1 is getting older and is at middle school, we are going to stop aftercare, he can choose how to fill his afternoon, whether the library or at home, as long as we know where he is.

We don't do a lot of sports, so the kids get the sleep they need, lights out by 8 (DS2) and 9 (ds1). Not sure we will commit to activities that infringe regularly on their sleep, it is so critical to them being happy functional humans.

ETA: forgot about early release days. They are typically the first Wednesday of the month. The school offers aftercare for that as well. I set my work schedule so I don't work Wednesday, but for my friends that work more full-time, it is easy enough to pay the additional fee and not worry about it.

[m4nash]

Between my 3 kids we have experienced 3 different elementary schools and 3 different bell schedules. My favorite was the earliest schedule with an 8:35 start time. My least favorite was the latest, with a 9:25 start. Our current elementary starts at 9:05 and dismisses at 3:55. I much prefer to have more time in the afternoons, especially in the winter when evening daylight hours are limited. My kids still go to bed pretty early, generally around 8:30pm (4th and 5th graders) and we wake them up for school. When they were younger bed time was earlier and they would usually be up early too.

That said, my middle schooler starts his day at 7:15 and I think that is way too early. He generally goes to bed at 8:30 or 9 and gets up around 6:15. He sleeps in on the weekends until 9 or 10 if he doesn’t have to be anywhere.

[AngB]

8:35 am start till 3:35 dismissal. I drop them off, DH picks them up on his way home (he has flexible hours and so goes in super early to leave early and also miss traffic.) I only work once a week or less so on those days my mom takes them. My 4yo has morning preschool that starts at 9 so it's easier to just drop everyone off. DS1, 8, has major anxiety about the bus and our district is extremely short staffed on bus drivers so I would rather not have them out on overcrowded busses with brand new drivers on country rural roads for long routes anyway.

They have late starts once or twice a month, on Mondays, 2 hour delays which we love but most of the parents hate. (The school does offer before school care for $10 but they can't be dropped off before 8 so it isn't super helpful for some families.) And then early release 2 hour early dismissal at the end of each quarter.

They go to bed/fall asleep somewhere between 8-9:30. (DS2 usually falls asleep by 8:30ish, DS1 is more like 9:30.) I get them up by 7:30 am but usually they both wake up on their own about 7ish most days. Late start days I just make sure they are in bed by 10ish but they usually are asleep by 9 and wake up by 8am.

[klwa]

Most of the elementary schools in our county start at 8, with middle school at 8:15 and high school at 7:45.

But, my kids are up & out the door at 6:30 due to DH's & my work schedules. DD2 goes to daycare for before & after school care and DS & DD1 stay at their grandmother's along with our niece since they're in middle school.

As for sleep, bedtime routines start at 7 for the youngest, and the other two come upstairs at 7:30 for Bible time and then they do their half hour of reading and baths, etc, so they're in bed by 9:30 at the latest. Which works since I'm in bed between 9 & 10.

For early dismissals, the daycare has extra staff on those days for the school kids and the other two either go to Grandma's or I pick them up if she's unable to.

[Philly Mom]

OP here, thank you. This is helpful.

[ged]

Our elementary starts at 8:05 but DD2 (9 y.o.) has band once per week at 7:30am. She stays at the after school program (I work full time), so I dont need to worry about early dismissals. I aim for an 8:30pm bedtime and ideally I will wake her up at 7 am. But this year has been tough with DD1 having 0 period, and us living in a small and creaky house, so DD1 often gets woken up earlier, and often does not fall asleep until after 9pm.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Kids can arrive between 8:15-8:45 with school starting at 8:45 (bus arrives at 7:50). Our district still has high school as the earliest (7:20 start). Ds2 would sleep until noon if left to his own devices but he does ok on school mornings.

[mmsmom]

Previous elementary was 9:00-3:35 and they had to be at school by 8:45; could get to school starting at 8:15. Current elementary starts at 8:45-3:45 and they can get to school starting at 8:15.

In our very large district typically elementary starts around 8:00, middle around 9:00 and high school around 7:00. There’s a lot of debate about switching elementary and high school start times since teens need more sleep and elementary age is usually up early anyway. But the practical aspects outweigh the need for sleep... high schoolers need more time after school for activities, sports, jobs, etc. and elementary needs to be in school longer so there are less after school hours to cover for childcare.

I am glad my kids are switching to private where the hours are 8:10-3:10 for all grades so we will not have the crazy early HS hours.

[Philly Mom]

Previous elementary was 9:00-3:35 and they had to be at school by 8:45; could get to school starting at 8:15. Current elementary starts at 8:45-3:45 and they can get to school starting at 8:15.

In our very large district typically elementary starts around 8:00, middle around 9:00 and high school around 7:00. There’s a lot of debate about switching elementary and high school start times since teens need more sleep and elementary age is usually up early anyway. But the practical aspects outweigh the need for sleep... high schoolers need more time after school for activities, sports, jobs, etc. and elementary needs to be in school longer so there are less after school hours to cover for childcare.

I am glad my kids are switching to private where the hours are 8:10-3:10 for all grades so we will not have the crazy early HS hours.

This is partly why I asked the question. In thinking about when kids should start school, how do younger children do with earlier start times?

[chottumommy]

School starts at 7:50. Both kids bike, so they are out of the house about 7:30. School lets out at 2:40 and we have an afterschool nanny. She comes home while the kids bike back and some days she picks them up at school if they have something right after. She takes them to all their activities and I get home at 4:30.

As for sleep, they are in bed by 8:30. Dinner is usually ready by 5:30 so depending on when they get back we either do it in slots or eat together (DH is never home before 7). We usually carpool or the kids bike back from their activities. We don't have a commute of more than 5-10 mins so even if their games go on till 8, they are home and in bed by 8:45.

Both wake up by 6 and wake me up after they get dressed. I have early risers and I'm so so very grateful that I haven't had to wake them up every.

[scrooks]

Elementary starts at 9:05. The earliest they can be let in is 8:45. Too late in my opinion.

[Philly Mom]

Elementary starts at 9:05. The earliest they can be let in is 8:45. Too late in my opinion.

Why is it too late?


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[SnuggleBuggles]

This is partly why I asked the question. In thinking about when kids should start school, how do younger children do with earlier start times?

At least when they’re little you can manage their activities. My high schooler can’t go to bed early because school activities can go until 9+ then add homework and these big kids can’t go to sleep early enough. It’s big old challenge to figure out the logistics that match the best practices.


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[scrooks]

Why is it too late?


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I just think its hard for working parents. Our school doesn't offer any kind of before care. There are local daycares that offer early drop off and transport service but its much easier when its at the school.

[Philly Mom]

I just think its hard for working parents. Our school doesn't offer any kind of before care. There are local daycares that offer early drop off and transport service but its much easier when its at the school.

People here are objecting to the early start time for elementary based on child care and the additional costs. This just shows me that after a few years, everyone will figure it out either way.


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[KpbS]

Between 7:45-8 am here. Most schools offer before care starting at 7:30, some for free. Some offer before care starting at 7 am.

[gymnbomb]

People here are objecting to the early start time for elementary based on child care and the additional costs. This just shows me that after a few years, everyone will figure it out either way.


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I find it much cheaper and easier to only need after care than to need both just a little before care plus after care! DS’s school opens the doors at 8:30 for an 8:45 start time. There is absolutely no way I can drop him off and get to work in time to start at 9! On days I have to teach a 9:00 class he goes to before care. On days it doesn’t matter so much when I get to work I put him on the bus about 8:15-8:20 and can get to work about 9 (but not early enough to park, walk to building, set up for class, etc. before 9). Next semester my earliest class is 9:30 and I am really looking forward to not needing to do before care.

His elementary offers on site after care, but not before care. So we use our daycare for both. It is actually cheaper than the school’s after care option, and I have to take DD there anyway, so it works well for us.


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[doberbrat]

8:40 is elementary start here. As much as I Personally would hate to start earlier, I do think it is easier on both kids and families when elementary schools start on the earlier side. That way families can just figure out after school care rather than before & after. We offer before/after care through the Y at our school but it is expensive - very expensive IMO and I am not personally a fan of the program.

The next town over only has after care in 2 of the elementary schools and there is a lottery to get in - SO hard on working families!

[IansMom]

Elementary school starts at 7:40 and ends at 2:45. I am a SAHM so I pick up and drop off. ODS goes to bed at 7:30 pm and reads until 8. He wakes up naturally around 6:15 am. He hasn’t asked but I would refuse to let him do after school activities that would have him going to bed later than 8 pm. He needs quite a bit of sleep to be his best self. He is grumpy and short-tempered when he doesn’t get enough sleep. He will be in middle school next year and it starts at 8:40 am so he could potentially do some activities that are later in the evening if he wants.

[marymoo86]

Spoiled here - 915am start - drop off beginning 845. Dismissal is 345. Shared bus system with high school so HS starts early and finished those routes then starts with the elementary kids.

ETA - school offers before and after care.

DH drops off and I do pickup from after care.

We have flexible working arrangements so works for us.

[lizzywednesday]

Ours start at 8:50am and let out at 3:25pm, but when DD had tutoring last year, we had to get up at the middle school time (tutoring started at 7:50am, IIRC.)