Sleep-Deprived School Districts: Where 11th Graders Get the Least Sleep Revealed – Genesee Consortium in Michigan Ranks Fifth

Article courtesy of  Amerisleep.

• New analysis of CDC data reveals which school districts see the lowest percentage of 11th graders sleeping for at least eight hours a night.
• The most sleep-deprived district is in Florida, with 7.7% of 11th graders sleeping for an average of eight or more hours on a school night.
• Even in the most well-rested district, over two-thirds of students aren’t getting enough sleep, with just 31.5% achieving eight hours a night.

A new analysis has identified which school districts see students getting the least sleep during what is considered to be the most important year of high school.

Sleep experts Amerisleep analyzed High School Youth Risk Behavior survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the percentage of high school students who sleep for an average of eight or more hours on a school night.

The survey data is broken down into grades,

with the experts honing in on 11th grade, as this is typically the year that most colleges look closely at transcripts to determine admission outcomes, and also sees students tackle advanced courses.

Findings show that the average school district consulted in the survey has just one-fifth (19.3%) of 11th graders getting at least eight hours of sleep a night.

Amerisleep’s Dr. Jordan Burns said: “As a sleep specialist, it’s essential that high schoolers get at least eight hours of sleep each night, as that’s the minimum amount they need to function properly. Teenagers actually need more rest than adults, not less as is commonly believed, since sleep fuels memory, learning, and emotional regulation. Without this, their concentration, mood, and overall health is at risk.

“Adequate sleep is particularly important for 11th graders, who are balancing advanced coursework and standardized testing alongside the pressure associated with college admissions. Consistently missing sleep affects both their short-term performance and long-term prospects, as well as their overall well-being.”

The school district that has the most sleep-deprived students is Broward County in Florida, with just 7.7% of 11th graders saying they get at least eight hours of sleep a night.

Second is Duval County, also in Florida, with 12.4% of high school students in 11th grade saying they sleep for eight hours a night during the week. This is 36% below the average reported across all school districts (19.3%).

Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Gaston County in North Carolina share third position, with 13% of 11th graders meeting the minimum requirement of eight hours of sleep each night. They’re closely followed by Orange County in Florida, with 13.5% of students getting the same amount of rest during the school week.

Sharing the fifth spot in the ranking of the most sleep-deprived districts are Palm Beach County in Florida and Genesee Consortium in Michigan, with 13.9% of 11th graders getting at least eight hours of sleep each night.

The rest of the ten school districts that see the most tired 11th graders are: Shelby County in Tennessee (14.1%), Miami-Dade County in Florida (14.2%), Boston in Massachusetts (14.3%), Chicago in Illinois (14.4%), and Charlotte-Mecklenburg County in North Carolina (14.6%).

The 10 school districts with the most sleep-deprived 11th graders

At the other end of the scale, even the most well-rested school district sees a majority of 11th graders not getting enough rest, with 31.5% of students in Oakland, California, saying they get at least eight hours of sleep each night.

This drops to 30.4% in Memphis, Tennessee, and Seattle, Washington, with 30.4% of 11th graders meeting the minimum sleep requirements, while Los Angeles, California, and San Diego, California, see 26.6% of well-rested students.

Dr. Jordan Burns from Amerisleep said: “The fact that in some districts fewer than one in ten 11th graders are getting the recommended eight hours of sleep is alarming. Sleep is not a luxury for teenagers, it’s a necessity, especially during the year when academic pressure peaks, yet many students are running on empty.

“Schools, families, and communities need to treat sleep as a real cornerstone of student success and intervene when sleep disruption starts to impact day-to-day performance. Sleep is just as vital as nutrition and exercise.”

Source:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 1991-2023 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Available at http://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/. Data compared was for the 11th grade under the ‘grade’ survey breakdown.

Full table: The school districts with the most sleep-deprived 11th graders