Center Grove board approves later student start times for 2025-26 school year

The Center Grove Community School Corp. board voted 5-0 to adopt new student start times for the 2025–26 school year, moving elementary start times 20 minutes later and middle and high school start times 30 minutes later, and eliminating early‑release Wednesdays. The board approved the change during its regularly scheduled meeting after a presentation by district administrators and a public comment period.

District administrators said the change is intended to align secondary start times more closely with adolescent sleep research and to create more consistent family schedules and teacher collaboration time. Dr. Long and Dr. Taylor presented survey results and a timeline for implementation and said the district will continue discussions about staff schedules separate from the student start-time decision.

Why it matters: Administrators cited health and academic research on adolescent sleep and told the board a later secondary start gives flexibility for teacher collaboration while preserving required instructional…