Freedom High School to Start 15 Minutes Later in 2022-2023

Many Loudoun County High Schools will change their start and end times for the 2022-2023 school year. The start time for high schools will start 15 minutes late and end 15 minutes later. Instead of starting at 9:15 a.m  and ending at 4:03 p.m Freedom High School will start at, 9:30 a.m and end at 4:18 p.m.

The change was enacted due to the bus driver shortage in Loudoun County. At the start of the school year Loudoun County had 86 openings for bus drivers, leaving 50 bus routes unattended. The later start time is hoped to alleviate the need for multiple trips for bus drivers and is hoped to get students to school on time. Many students busses get to school late due to busses making multiple trips to different neighborhoods. With a later start time the busses that do have to make multiple routes have more time leaving less kids stranded at the bus stop and at school on time. 

The later start time also allows students more time to sleep by having a later start time. Studies show that teens need to have nine hours of sleep and with many High School students having a large course load nine hours of sleep is harder to achieve then it seems.

“I have dance till late, sometimes till 10 at night, starting later could give me more time to sleep or get ready in the morning,” said sophomore Eva Walters.

Though with school ending later other students may not be so positively affected. Many students have after school sports and jobs that could be harder to get to with them losing 15 minutes of their time after school. 

“I am a dancer, and I already have to rush to get there on time after school,” Walters said.

By getting home later students who are in extracurricular activities such as sports or jobs students getting home later could have less downtime and time to do homework.

While this time change affects the students it also affects the teachers as well. 

“It will be harder for some teachers to get home in the afternoon, especially if they live far away, and if they have to pick up children” said Jessica Johnson, an FHS English teacher.

As many Loudoun County Schools are starting later, Fairfax County continues to start earlier. Unlike Freedom High Schools 9:15 a.m. start time, Fairfax County High Schools start more than an hour before Loudoun County.

“I think it takes longer for the teenage brain to wake up, so I thinks its better to start high school later and the little kids earlier,” Johnson said.