Seattle Public Schools will introduce new "bell times" across their entire system when the new school year starts on Sept. 7. The district has sent letters to parents announcing the changes which can be as much as 45 minutes later than they were in earlier years.

Bell time revisions for local schools can be found below and the complete list here: http://bit.ly/1XYIVGV

From the letter sent to parents by Pegi McEvoy, Assistant Superintendent Operations:
"Research has shown that teenagers benefit from later start times resulting in more sleep, better health, reduced discipline and improved truancy rates. During the district’s community engagement process, most feedback from the community supported earlier start times for our younger students. Additionally, research has shown no negative impacts on elementary students when school begins earlier.

"We recognize the challenges families face as they restructure their schedules, including potential impacts on before and after school childcare, after school activities and nutrition programs. The district has identified resources to help families address these challenges. These resources can be found here: http://bit.ly/1sIsCR3.

The decision to change bell times comes after a year-long analysis including family and school surveys, a national review of research and recommendations from a community based task force. Additional information on the bell times analysis process and community engagement can be found here: http://bit.ly/1t6K3e7. "

Letters for other languages can be found at the links above.

Locally the new bell times will be:

Elementary Schools
Alki 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Arbor Heights 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Fairmount Park 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Gatewood 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Highland Park 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Lafayette 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Roxhill 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
Genesee Hill 7:55 am - 2:05 pm
West Seattle 7:55 am - 2:05 pm

K-8 Schools
Louisa Boren STEM 9:35 am - 4:05 pm
Pathfinder K-8 8:45 am - 3:15 pm

Middle Schools
Denny International 7:55 am - 2:25 pm
Madison 8:45 am - 3:15 pm

High Schools
Chief Sealth International 8:45 am - 3:15 pm
West Seattle 8:45 am - 3:15 pm