If Florida schools let teenagers sleep in, the state would get a $9 billion economic boost over the next 15 years. That’s according to a new report from nonprofit research organization RAND Corporation, which found that moving school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later for middle and high schools would reduce the number of fatal car crashes and help kids do better in school, increasing the likelihood that students graduate from high school and go on to college. Overall, the analysis found, the extra sleep would boost the U.S. economy by $83 billion within a decade and result in economic gains of $641 million in Florida after just two years.
