If you attended middle school in FCPS, you probably remember getting picked up by the bus at 6:30 a.m. or the bell ringing at 7:30 a.m., way too early for comfort.

Fairfax County Public Schools held a meeting in September 2023 discussing the early start times, and granted Prismatic Services, Inc. a contract to design a plan for shifting the middle school bell schedule.

In fall of 2025, FCPS plans to begin middle school around 8:00 a.m. Middle schools in Fairfax County typically begin around 7:30 a.m., which can be a challenge for students and their families.

“Being in middle school last year, it was very uncomfortable waking up so early,” freshman Giovanni Anastacio said. “I was always tired and not in the right headspace because I was running on less than seven to eight hours of sleep every night.”

It’s common knowledge that you perform much better physically, mentally, and emotionally when you feel well rested. Getting 9-10 hours of sleep every night is recommended for children around middle school age.

Surveys and research show that most teenagers only get between 6.5 and 7.5 hours of sleep every night. With sports, homework, family, and sometimes feeling peer pressure to stay up later, getting sufficient sleep is never easy for the average middle schooler.

If middle schoolers obviously need more sleep, then why wouldn’t they have just changed the time earlier? It’s never that simple and never has been. Bus schedules have a huge impact on timing, because middle schools need to coordinate bus schedules with other elementary and high schools.

FCPS is making the right decision shifting times, but many current high school students wish this was done a long time ago.