All Canby schools will have new start and end times starting next fall. School officials believe students will benefit from the new schedule, which has Baker Prairie and Canby High starting later and elementary and Ninety-One starting earlier.
According to the new schedule that will take effect in the 2022-23 academic year, the start time for CHS and BPMS students will move one hour later — from 7:40 a.m. to 8:40 — while the day for elementary and Ninety-One School students will begin one hour earlier: 8 a.m. instead of the current start time of 9.
End times will also be shifted by one hour, with the high school and Baker Prairie ending at 3:40 and 3:30 p.m., respectively, and the elementary and Ninety-One School schedules wrapping up at 2:30.
“These new start times bring our elementary and secondary schedules closer together by almost 30 minutes, as well as allow us to push back some early bus pick-up times,” Canby Director of Teaching and Learning Danielle Reynolds said.
The schedule is based on educational best practices for student achievement, officials said. Research shows that adolescents naturally stay up and wake up later than children ages 5 to 11, and later start times can help improve their educational performance and success.
Allowing students to attend school at times that align with their natural sleep schedules has numerous physical, emotional, and educational benefits, the district says.
“We expect to see our elementary students full of energy throughout the school day, and we expect to see our middle and high school students more alert in the morning,” Reynolds said. “We are also excited that the schedule will align with other area school districts, including those schools in our Oregon Schools Activities Association league.”
Officials worked with stakeholders throughout the decision-making process, including consulting with the school board and bus service (Student Transportation of America, or STA). The district also hosted focus groups made up of students, parents, teachers and administrators.
The groups provided valuable feedback, Wohlers said, which was mostly in favor of shifting the school times. The district followed the focused groups with an open-ended survey of staff and families before making a decision, ultimately receiving nearly 900 responses.
“We want to thank all for their feedback in this process,” Superintendent Dr. Aaron Downs said. “We appreciate our community’s partnership to make the new 2022-23 schedule a great success for students in the Canby School District.”
Based on feedback, the district is also planning to supplement next year’s bus schedule with STA vans to reduce early bus pick-up times and will explore options to provide after-school enrichment opportunities and affordable child care options at elementary schools next year.
The district will also adjust middle and high school co-curricular schedules in a way that meets staff, student and family needs.