It's no secret that numerous studies show it's hard for teenagers to wake up early in the morning, and many of them do better academically when they get more sleep.

Flickr User Me and the sysop
Flickr User Me and the sysop
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As Jersey teens get set to head back to class next week, some are wondering why high schools don't start their day later.

"High schools do have a large number of after-school activities that the students are involved in, so it does make more sense for the school day to end earlier so we can accommodate both those athletic and other extracurricular activities," says the Communications Director of the New Jersey School Boards Association, Frank Belluscio.

He also points out because districts are juggling transporting younger as well as older students, "it makes more sense to start the high school day earlier, followed by the middle school day and then the elementary school day."

"It is true that teenagers need more sleep. They're in a period of high development, so physically, the number of hours of sleep is important for them to be alert in the classroom, but the solution really might be that they need to go to bed earlier."

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