LAKEVILLE — Start and end times for schools in the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District will change next year to better align with bus schedules.

Apponequet Regional High School will begin classes at 7:15 a.m. and dismiss at 1:48 p.m., Superintendent Barbara Starkie told the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee during its June 11 meeting. Last year, the high school ran from 7:40 a.m. to 2:13 p.m.

Freetown-Lakeville Middle School will start at 7:20 a.m. and end at 1:40 p.m. George R. Austin Intermediate School will begin at 8:20 a.m. and dismiss at 2:35 p.m. Both schools are starting about 20 minutes earlier than last year.

Assawompset Elementary School in Lakeville and Freetown Elementary School will begin at 9:20 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., moving their start times about 10 minutes later. 

Starkie said the new schedule will reduce wait times for buses. Adjusting start and end times ensures that “buses can be present at the expected time” and drop off students “at a time that [seems] very reasonable,” she said.

Committee member Robert Clark raised concerns about students potentially arriving home after dark.

“There’s likely going to be part of the school year that’s going to happen,’’ Starkie said, noting the shorter daylight hours during winter.