Louisiana high school start times are the earliest in the U.S.

• A 2015 survey found that nearly 73% of high school students across 30 states were getting less than eight hours of sleep a night. During puberty, adolescents get tired later at night and need to sleep in more, per the CDC.
• Schools should start at the earliest at 8:30am, according to the pediatric group.

By the numbers: The average start time for high schoolers in Louisiana is 7:30am, according to AAA State of Play, which analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education and others. Meanwhile, the latest average start time in the U.S. is 8:41am in Maryland.

Several high school start times in New Orleans:

• St. Augustine High School: 7:15am.
• L.B. Landry High School: 7:25am.
• Academy of the Sacred Heart: 7:55am.
• Brother Martin High School: 8am.
• Eleanor McMain Secondary School: 8am.
• Isidore Newman School: 8am.
• The Willow School: 8am.
• Ben Franklin High School: 8:05am.
• Edna Karr High School: 8:30am.

The big picture: The main contributor to early school start times is busing, the report said. Many districts use the same buses to pick up and drop off students across all grades, which creates the need to stagger schedules.

Yes, but: One of the biggest concerns about shifting school times later is the conflict with caretakers' work schedules.

What we're watching: Florida lawmakers are looking at a bill that would create a mandatory minimum school start time.