For almost a decade, the Fairfax Public School System has been considering adjusting the school start times, specifically for middle schools. The change would impact numerous school timing due to bus scheduling, and now throw into the mix the massive school boundary adjustments that are underway.

By Lynn Norusis
April 2025

At a school board meeting on March 27, 2025, the school board has come up with a plan to implement a pilot program that would have Mason District middle schools, which include Glasgow, Holmes and Poe starting at 8 a.m. instead of the current 7:30 a.m.

Over the past decade, FCPS has surveyed students, parents and hired researchers and consulting firm Prismatic Services, Inc. to gather input and put together a plan for how to accommodate later start times. Six options were put before the school system staff and transportation board from Prismatic’s report and Option C2, which would start middle schools at 9:40 a.m., secondary and high schools at 8:30 a.m., and elementary schools at 8 or 9:10 a.m. — was recommended by the FCPS Office of Transportation Services due to the lessened impact to elementary and high school students and no increase for additional buses or funding.

Along with the change in middle school start times, FFX Now reports, “… as part of the boundary review, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid is looking at the possibility of shifting sixth grade to middle school countywide, as was reportedly planned in the early 1990s, [School Board Member Ricardy] Anderson says. An FCPS spokesperson confirmed that option is being considered.”

Here is a brief history of the process:

• In 2011, FCPS surveyed 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students and found that two-thirds of students reported sleeping seven hours or less on an average school night. That is at least two hours short of the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours needed per night. 
• In 2012, the School Board passed a resolution stating that, “because of the benefits to student health, well-being, and performance, it is a goal of the Fairfax County School Board to achieve high school start times after 8 a.m., so that students are able to obtain a healthy and sufficient amount of sleep, as defined by sleep research and medical experts.”
• In 2013, a contract was awarded to the National Children’s Medical Center (NCMC) to research the effects of sleep on adolescents, and to work with the School Board and staff to devise a plan for FCPS students. This plan was known as the Blueprint for Change. NCMC found that high school classes beginning at 7:20 a.m. could negatively affect student health. In October 2014, the board voted to delay high school start times to 8 a.m. or after, beginning in the 2015-16 school year. As a result, middle school start times moved up to 7:30 a.m. FCPS’ superintendent in 2015 stated that she would consider pushing back middle school start times at a later date.
• Four community forums took place in April and May 2024. 
• In 2025, a survey was sent to parents for their input, which was wrapped up on April 12, 2025.