If high school students think 7:30 a.m. is a brutal hour to start class, they’re not alone.

Citing studies that show older students learn better when classes start later, Cape Elizabeth School Board members are mulling a plan to let high school students sleep in next year.

“There are many school systems that are already doing it and have done it for years,” said board member Peter Cotter. “Test scores and the reaction from students are very positive.” The board is expected to discuss the proposed changes as part of the budget process at its Tuesday meeting, just beyond Current deadline.

The board’s Calendar Committee is proposing an 8:10 a.m. start for middle school students and an 8:15 a.m. start for the high school. The middle school currently starts at 8:50 a.m.

A later start means a later finish, and committee members backed away from an earlier proposal to start the high school at 8:30 a.m., due to concerns about conflicts with after-school sports and other activities. The 8:15 a.m. start time will not create problems, board member Rebecca Millett said, and it will result in a small savings in the district’s transportation budget because middle- and high-school students would ride the same buses.

Schools throughout the nation have been implementing later start times because studies show older students learn better when they get extra sleep in the morning, Millett said.

“If we can do this, maybe a few other (districts in the area) will say, ‘Yeah, this really does make sense,'” she said.

Scarborough High School students start class at 7:45 a.m. South Portland High School students start class at 7:30 a.m.