School Start & Dismissal Times Announced for 2022-23 School Year

Adjustments have been announced to the start and dismissal times for 14 schools in the fall. To the impacted schools, the changes will be a 5- or 10-minute shift to allow all schools to align with the Northshore School Board resolution that no school begins before 8:00 a.m. or ends after 4:00 p.m. These changes are a final step to accomplish that goal.

View the Start & Dismissal Times web page for a full list of school hours.

The changes for 2022-23 affect all middle schools, as those times needed to shift to an 8:00 a.m. start time to meet the school board resolution. Other adjustments were made to ensure ample time for buses to transport students. The District Transportation Department’s bus fleet and scheduling was a factor throughout these conversations, with a number of districtwide program shifts and efficiencies put in place to help meet the established goals.

These efforts have been years in the making, with school board members having early discussions about school start times with community members in 2008, and the majority of the changes to schedules made during the 2017-18 school year. A Start Times Task Force made up of parents, community members, and staff met regularly, reviewed data, and sought feedback from families to help inform the changes that were put in effect in 2017. 

The District recognized that not all changes could be implemented at once, and so when the times for the 2017-18 school year were implemented, district staff planned for additional modifications to be made in the years to follow. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed those decisions until now.