3 New England States Have the Earliest School Start Times and Longest Days in the Country

The older I get, the more I see how hard parenting is (no, I do not have kiddos).

And I do not necessarily mean parenting is hard (which I know it is). But there are a lot of things to balance that you don't initially think of when you think of parenting or having a baby.

I'm referring to adding stops on a road trip, what to do when daycare cancels because of a snowstorm, who is leaving work on a half day at school, or just regular school hours in general.

How the heck is a parent supposed to work a full-time job and also be there for school drop-offs and pick-ups?

This begs the question, should there be a change to school times? Is the start time too early/late and would parents benefit from a longer or shorter school day?

Let's get into it.

New England states have some of the longest school days with some of the earliest school start times in the country.

According to the video above, New Hampshire's six-hour-long school days are the third longest in the country.

Three New England states have the earliest high school start times in the country.

According to the AAA State of Play article, high schools in Massachusetts start at 7:38 AM (on average). High schools in Connecticut begin at 7:39 AM on average, and high schools in New Hampshire are right behind, with an average start time of 7:41 AM.

Middle schools in Maine start the fourth earliest in the USA at 7:46 AM on average.

This leads me back to my original point. If parents are expected to work an eight-hour day, how the heck are they to get their kiddo to and from school AND work?!

Credit and respect to all the parents out there, but what would you change? Would you choose to have a longer day for your child? Shorter? Or does the system work as is?!