On Jan. 8, 2023, St. Charles School District 303 implemented new bell schedules districtwide for the 2024-2025 school year. These changes primarily accommodate a shorter elementary school day, resulting in changes to the high school and middle school bell schedules as well.
Up until now, elementary school students have attended an eight-hour school day. With the reduction of the elementary day, elementary students will attend a seven-hour school day, starting at 9:05 a.m. and ending at 3:25 p.m.

In addition to this change, high school and middle school students are also affected. Middle school students will start the school day at 7:50 a.m. as opposed to 8:40 a.m. High school students will start the school day at 7:15 a.m. instead of 7:20 a.m. and end the school day at 2:15 p.m.

In a previous FAQ about the D303 bell schedules, there was speculation about why older students cannot start the school day later than the younger grade levels. A recent 2023 study by the APA (American Psychological Association) revealed that later high school start times allow for students to get the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep daily, while also promoting adolescent wellbeing. Improved test scores, attendance rates and increased student attention were also additional benefits of later start times in high schools.

In response, the D303 board representatives mentioned that high schools can only be started after elementary schools and middle schools due to various time constraints.

The bell schedule changes’ main focus is primarily on bus transportation. In previous years, many students were left waiting for their buses long after the school day ended. This also interfered with teacher schedules, as they had to stay to supervise the kids until they got picked up.
With that being said, the new schedule changes allow 35 minutes between routes for buses to pick up the next grade level on time. On behalf of the students and staff, this minimizes the impact on their schedules, and they are now insured timely bus schedules.