My classes start at 7:42 exactly, FYI.
It depends on the person – if you need more sleep go to bed earlier.
You’ve asked that before and we’ve told you; not only is that not normal, it’s also extremely dangerous. Teenagers’ brings need 8-9 hours of sleep. When you’re under 8 you hurt your brain (for instance breaking neural connections, probably leading to mental illness) and its ability to function, regulate, and help your body grow.
If your schedule is such that you don’t have 8-9 hours of sleep a night, you need a different schedule.
Btw look up the movement to have school start later. It’s picking up steam in many districts.
Every high school I know starts within about half an hour of your start time. My kids start at 7:35. My homeroom starts at 8:10. My husband’s starts at 8:05 I think. They start when they do to accommodate both those kids who need to work and all the after school sports; most schools don’t have lights on their fields, so sports need to be over before dark. Likewise, they don’t want kids walking home from school in the dark of the winter; it’s a safety issue. And since most schools have the buses do a few runs, they start high school earliest-- they don’t want the little kids at the bus stops while it’s still dark in those winter mornings. Districts simply don’t have the resources to run buses to multiple ages of kids at the same time.
So I don’t think you’re going to win the war on starting later— certainly not this year. And next year’s budget is already set in most places, so next year doesn’t look good either.
If you’re not getting enough sleep, there are two solutions: turn off the technology and get to bed earlier, or take a nap each day when you get home. While number on is the much preferred option, my daughter goes with number 2, especially on nights when she’s working.
Sadly, it is the normal. When I was a teen I did this too. Is it a good thing? No. I second naps.
If you see a problem do something about it: start a movement to move starting times. Teenagers, parents, and doctors get together, research, defend at the district board, etc. It may or may not succeed but the point is doing omething about it - starting times can change.
(In Minnesota, they experimented with 9:35 starting time for high school, with I think 8:45 for middle school and 8:15 for elementary - so, no problem for buses. The results were excellent both academically and disciplinary-wise.)
Obviously no phone after 10pm helps. 
Hmm my kids school starts at 7:15. My son was having trouble sleeping at one point so he started taking melatonin before bed. That helped him quite a bit. Look it up.
Could we take a step back?
SO MANY of your threads seem to center on all that’s wrong with life. I don’t think I’m the only one who has noticed, or is concerned. You’re worried about your sleep, you’re worried about your grades, you’re worried about so many things.
My wish for you is that you’ll find more joyful things to write about. And my challenge for you is to find as many positive things to post about as negative… think you can do it? I hope so, very sincerely.
Do you have a hard time getting to sleep early enough to get more than 6 hours of sleep? If so, you could possiblyhave a sleep disorder and/or ADHD. Look into melatonin and sleep rituals. You might have to be strict with yourself about turning off screens and lights and enforcing a bed time. More sleep would make a huge difference in your life.
No, it is not normal to do it everyday.
Your school start time sounds very normal to me. I started at 7:30 7-12th grade. My kids start at 7:45 7-12th grade. If your like my kids you may find that if you really think about it perhaps procrastination plays a big role in going to bed late. Why do you think you aren’t getting enough sleep?
My daughter figured out sophomore year that she was going to bed too late so started powering down her devices earlier, telling friends she wasn’t available to chat or help with homework, and set an earlier bedtime for herself. Made a world of difference! She’s out the door at 6:40 am.
Right. The start times may not be optimal, but they’re “normal.” The amount of sleep you get is up to you.
I think the sad thing is that at highly competitive high schools this is the new normal.
Family friend’s daughter has that start time. She’s in bed by 8pm, maybe 9:30pm during the final weeks before the spring musical. Is it what I would set as a start time? No, but she’s making it work, getting stellar grades and is learning excellent time management skills.
It’s the old normal in every school I’ve ever been associated with.
It has always been normal – it has been going on since I was in HS many moons ago – we started HS at 7:50. Most districts stagger the start times of the different schools so that the buses can service students at more than one school.
Pre 11pm bedtimes and pre 7-7:30am wwakebup times are actually not “normal” in that they’re very disruptive to adolescent physiology. In the teen years, especially 14-15/-19-20, the brain and the body’s hormones are released differently than in adults, causing the circadian rhythms to change. It’s not as simple as ‘going to bed earlier’ (even if blue light and electronics make things worse). That’s why doctors are in favor of later start times for high schoolers.
Before the industrial revolution, the alternative used to be sun up wake up time with naps scheduled in the 12-2 or 1-3 period but how many high schools allow that? Post 1906 reform a normal start time was 8:30 or 9.
In many cities older students take public transportation or drive. In some suburbs parents drive. Not to mention walking or biking to school when weather permits. School bus routes need to be staggered but with high school starting later.
Adolescent physiology is a very interesting subject btw. And the role of sleep is still being explored.
We do know adolescent sleep (and roper duration) are key issues in mental health and academic achievement.
Starting at 7:45 is just a convention, and a fairly recent one. It’s also localized - school districts all have very different start times. A “before 8” o’clock time may be best locally, most convenient, or generally accepted, but it’s not natural for teen bodies and it’s counterproductive for academic learning.
However, if students are unhappy with something, they need to learn about it and work to change it. They can’t mope around or just say “that’s the way it is”. Fix what doesn’t work, improve what works ok.
We live in a democracy and change doesn’t just “happen”. It depends on involved citizens.
Ok, if not “normal” then certainly “typical.”
Yes, 7:42 start time is typical.
6 hours of sleep is not, and should not be.
Btw op has not returned.