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MNPS presents school start/end time study: Formative models scenarios after 16,000 responses
Summary
District staff presented interim results from a study of bell times: Formative collected over 16,000 survey responses and multiple focus groups; staff will present modeled scenarios in January and aim to bring recommendations to the board by Jan. 27 to allow planning for 2026–27.
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools staff updated the board on a districtwide study of school start and end times, a partnership with Formative intended to examine transportation, student well‑being and operational tradeoffs.
Staff said Formative’s engagement produced more than 16,000 online survey responses in seven languages, 13 focus groups with over 110 participants, and two town halls with more than 200 attendees. Nearly every school in the district was represented, staff said, with especially strong engagement from high school families and students.
Early findings: a majority of stakeholders reported current start times are ‘‘just right’’ while a substantial share supported adjusting high school start times. Staff emphasized that while many respondents are open to later high school starts, changes create ripple effects across transportation, after‑school activities and family schedules. Small shifts in bell times can affect driver availability, afternoon extracurriculars and childcare.
Formative will model feasible bell‑time scenarios that balance student needs, transportation efficiency and staffing. Staff said the current schedule will be among the scenarios presented. The district plans more engagement in January — virtual and in‑person town halls in each quadrant, followed by a second survey to gather feedback on specific modeled scenarios — and expects to bring a recommendation to the board by Jan. 27 to allow planning for the 2026–27 school year.
Board members asked about representativeness (fewer than 17,000 responses vs about 38,000 students transported daily), geographic distribution and capture of subgroup data (magnet schools, student drivers, families with multiple students). Staff said heat maps and quadrant town halls will help address geographic representation and that survey instruments include questions about transportation mode so planners can model student drivers vs. bus riders.
Next steps: staff will host additional town halls and publish modeled scenarios for public feedback, then return with a preferred recommendation for board consideration before the school‑choice timeline begins.
