Prince George's County Public Schools

Prince George's County Public Schools moving to standardize start times

Schools across Prince George's County currently have 20 different start times, but a change would have schools assigned one of three start times

prince george's county school buses
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

A major change is expected soon at the Prince George's County Public School System.

Right now, there are more than 20 times that the first school bell of the day rings across Prince George's County.

Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, all Prince Georgeโ€™s County Public Schools are set to start at one of three start times, a spokesperson said.

Under the new plan, schools could start at 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.

The time changes would also affect dismissal times.

The school system's transportation director says the time change would help get kids to school on time.

The school board has been informed of a plan to standardize school start times, and officials are planning to announce community information sessions on the changes soon, a spokesperson said.

Correction (April 2, 2024, 10:51 a.m.): A previous version of this story said that the school board was considering changes, but Prince Georgeโ€™s County Public Schools says the operational decision doesnโ€™t require board approval. This article has been updated to reflect that any school could start at one of the three new start times.

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