Parents sue over 8:00 a.m. start time at Estonian school
In Estonia, 18 parents of students at Kõrveküla Basic School near Tartu have filed a case with an administrative court demanding that classes begin at 9:00 a.m. The school, which has more than 700 students, currently starts lessons at 8:00 a.m., using an exception provided for by the rules.
As ERR News reports, the Estonian government adopted regulations in July 2025 under which general education schools must begin at 9:00 a.m. from the 2026–2027 academic year. At the same time, institutions may retain an earlier start if they have compelling and properly justified reasons.
Parents’ arguments
In spring, 142 parents signed a petition in favor of a later start to the school day. The plaintiffs cite scientific evidence on the benefits of additional sleep for children’s health, especially for adolescents whose sleep patterns are changing.
Ott Oja, head of the Preschool and Basic Education Department at Estonia’s Ministry of Education and Research, said that years of research link later lesson start times to longer sleep duration among students. According to him, sufficient sleep helps prevent mental and physical health problems.
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One parent, Marianne Tobro-Kerna, said that her eighth-grade son wakes up at about 6:00 a.m., but finds it difficult to get out of bed at 6:30 a.m. In her view, chronic fatigue affects not only children’s mood but also their ability to learn throughout the day.
Transport and daily schedule
The Tartu municipality, which runs the school, explains the retention of the 8:00 a.m. start time by the complexity and cost of changing public transport schedules. Deputy mayor of the municipality Agu Laas estimated the cost of reorganizing the bus network at more than €500,000. According to him, bus routes are coordinated with residents’ commutes to work, and children travel to Kõrveküla School from different parts of the municipality.
The school administration also warns that a later start would shift the end of lessons. Piret Jõul, head of academic affairs, said that older students could finish school at 5:00 p.m. and then still attend music classes, sports training or other clubs.
Of the six schools in the Tartu municipality, three have already moved to a 9:00 a.m. start. Kõrveküla, Lähte and Tabivere have retained the earlier schedule due to their dependence on a shared bus network. Consideration of the case on its merits is due to begin in November, although the municipality already allows for moving the start of the school day in Kõrveküla to 9:00 a.m. from the next academic year.
