It's so surprising to me that so many kindergartens start so late. Of course elementary school hours don't typically fit a working parents hours, but they could at least start school at a time so that only after care is required! Also most kids wake up early!?
Our elementary school is 8:40-3:10. But bus pick up and drop off is 8:15/4. So at least I don't have to arrange for morning care. What are your school hours?
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I don't know about the district I live in, but the school I send my son to is as follows:
Doors open at 8:45, school begins at 9:05.
Dismissal for kindergarten (when the car kids are brought outside) begins at 3:25. According to my son, they stop "working" at 2:50 to begin clean up, packing, and organizing according to bus/aftercare/direct car pick up groups.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I just looked- you can do half day (morning or afternoon) or pay for full day, which I understand most people do. Full is 8:25 to 2:55, not sure on bus schedules; half is 8:25 to 11:15 or 12:05 to 2:55. Full seems like a long day but the half day options seem so so short.
cherry / 220 posts
Our district is 8:20 to 2:50pm for elementary. My husband starts work mid-morning so he does drop off, otherwise we would have to pay for before and after school care (we currently pay only for after school). At least there is an extended day program at our school. I have friends whose kids attend schools that don't offer that!
pear / 1961 posts
Our district has 3 staggered start/end times so they can have fewer buses. Start times are either 730, 830, or 920. We live in a 920 part of town, which is actually great because my kids sleep late. We looked at one charter school, but it had a 730 start time, and I knew there was no way I could have the kids up & ready for school, drive there, and have them butts-in-seats by 730!! Plus, if you have to bus, sometimes the pick-up is super-early.
So for us, the late start time works, but I SAH, too.
All the schools offer before AND aftercare (and even some optional programming like Spanish classes, gymnastics, etc), so you don't have to arrange anything separately or at a different location if you don't want to. I don't think it's that big of a deal if you have working parents and need to do both before & after, in that case.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
School Hours is 8:30 - 2:45
However, kids can be dropped off as early as 7:45 with supervision in the cafeteria for breakfast or the playground for free play. If DH is in line at 7:30, he drops her off right at 7:45 and makes it to work just at 8.
For pick up, we do after school care but I believe you can pick up as late as 3:20.
grapefruit / 4903 posts
Their hours are 8:20-3:40. I'm on the other side and kind of wish there was a half day option.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
Kindergarten starts at 8:45, drop-off begins at 8:40. The bus would pick LO up at 7:40ish though which is a LONG bus ride. School gets out at 3:35 but if kids ride the bus they don't load them until 3:45. LO would get home by 4:00pm.
So actual school hours: 8:45-3:35
squash / 13208 posts
@KayKay: ours are also staggered to reduce the # of buses
"A" schools start at 8:35 - 3:15
"B" Schools start at 8:50 - 3:30
"C" Schools start at 9:05 - 3:45
We are an "A" school
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
7:30-2:30
ETA there are early and late schools... The late schools start at 8:00 and go til 3:00
pomelo / 5298 posts
We don't use the bus service...
School doors open at 7:15, classrooms open at 7:40 and the day starts at 7:50 (prior to 7:40, they are in the cafeteria). Dismissal is at 3:00. We use the extended day care option which allows our kiddo to be at the school until 6:00 in the evening.
I typically drop her off between 7:30 and 7:40 and her Dad picks her up between 5:30 and 5:45. It's a long day, but comparable to her daycare day.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@Bao: How do they only allow 5 minutes for drop off? Our drop off line can take easily a half an hour to get everyone through.
eggplant / 11824 posts
Hours are 8:45 - 3:15. Scheduled just right not to work for working parents, because of course.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@winniebee: There's a movement in my area to switch the start times of high school and elementary schools, so that high schoolers can sleep later and elementary begins in their current slot. Part of the thinking is that high schoolers can be on their own in the morning and part is that physically, high schoolers need more sleep than their elementary aged counterparts. It's interesting.
pear / 1974 posts
Not in school yet (he's 2.5) but it will be 8:10-2:45. I work in the high school down the street from there, but my hours are 7:30-3:30 so i'll probably put him in before and aftercare.
pear / 1586 posts
It varies by school in our (huge) district. The school we are zoned to runs 9:15-3:45, with before/after care options.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@looch: I tend to agree! Middle school starts much earlier here - 745- and high school I think 815? But then high school has sports after school so not sure how a later start time would impact that.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@winniebee: It so complex to change, that's what we've learned, in some of the cities that have managed to change it.
cherry / 109 posts
Kindergarten is 9-4. I drop DS off at 7:15 for paid early care and he comes home on the bus at 4:20.
(Middle school is 8-3, high school is 7-2. They all use the same buses.)
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@T.H.O.U.: you go in and drop off so you wait in the lobby then the bill rings at 8:40 and you bring them to their class.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
Not sure about start time, somewhere around 8, but end of the day is 2:30. Clearly no one has two working parents, uh huh, right.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
We start at 7:45 and go until 2:45. I hate the early start -- he has to be up at 6:30 to be ready/fed/walk down there. DS could really use a little extra sleep, and trust me when I say I usually have him in bed by 8 at latest (often earlier) every night. I hope it gets easier as he gets a bit older, but right now I have to scrape him out of bed many mornings.
Our middle/high schools start later, and while I know there are studies about teens needing the sleep, too, I think it's weird that they don't get more time for extracurriculars and jobs and what not.
coconut / 8472 posts
Kindergarten starts at 8:50. 1/2 day goes to 12:15, full day goes to 3:06. I think they just do instruction related stuff in the morning. Afternoon is lunch and play time.
pineapple / 12566 posts
Our school is 8:25-4:00 three days a week, 8:25-12:00 one day and 8:25-3:25 one day. It's kind of nuts. 
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
8:25-2:30
So many other school days seem to be so much longer than ours!
persimmon / 1322 posts
Our district only offers full day kindergarten, from 9-3:30. I have no idea how they expect working parents to be able to make that work. And 3:30 seems so late!
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
drop off is 7:25-7:40 - most people walk - to 3:00 I believe. They moved it up this past year to be able to go fewer days. Older kids start later but I agree with an earlier poster that I don't see how they get the after school activities or jobs in!
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