The current start time for Pinellas County high schools is 7:25 a.m. If you aren’t an early bird, this is probably very irritating for you. For those who enjoy early afternoons, this is probably heavenly. (Or if you’re both of those, like me, you probably have a love/hate relationship with it.) But, in August 2026, this will change. The Florida government has officially stated that school start times will change at the commencement of the 2026-2027 school year. While some students are bursting with joy, others are shaking their heads in disappointment. Florida governor Ron DeSantis said that high schools will start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and middle schools will start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. If you look at the logistics, this makes sense. Most high schoolers can drive themselves to school, so there’s no reason to start before the sun comes up. Meanwhile, not a single middle schooler is even ELIGIBLE to drive, so parents have to drop their kids off (unless their kids take the bus). However, with middle school starting at 9:40 a.m., it makes it difficult for working parents to accommodate this.
Given this information, it might make you wonder why we haven’t had different start times in the first place. The main reason is the bus schedule. Buses are notoriously late, but if school start times are all over the place, the bus system would be much more chaotic. Likewise, ending high school earlier gives students more time in the afternoon to work, do extracurriculars, help out their families, etc. Traditional Sophomore Ryann Vigue says that she is not excited for the school time change because she’s an athlete and she “needs more time in the afternoon to get all of her homework done along with practice.” She also mentions that she will have to spend the “majority of [her] free time dedicated to sports and homework, leaving hardly any time for work or family.” According to Vigue, an extra hour of sleep is not worth less time with family.
Another issue that may arise among our student body is the ability to get rides to and from school. While many upperclassmen can drive, there are still many who can’t for various reasons. Meanwhile, underclassmen aren’t old enough to drive, so they have no choice but to receive rides. Despite buses being an option, there are many kids who live too far from their bus stops in order to make this a reality. According to Traditional Freshman Kaylee Cancio, “this issue may impact students who rely on their parents for rides, particularly if their parents are working.”
Overall, it’s clear that there are pros and cons of this new law. Thankfully, it won’t be taken into effect for another year. Whether you are happy with this decision or not, it’s good that the county has another year before experiencing these new changes. It’s a big step for the future of the Florida public school system, and Cancio believes that “Florida’s initiative to adopt later start times aims to enhance student health, well-being, and academic performance”, but only time will tell. While this gives students an extra hour of sleep, it’s not guaranteed that students will actually use the time wisely. Getting out of school later may make students stay up later to finish their work, therefore eliminating the main purpose of the law. Nonetheless, St. Pete High students will have to make adjustments in their lives to accommodate this new change. The high school experience will be quite different, but hopefully our lives will improve.
