Government health experts are warning that teens are starting school too early in the morning depriving them of much-needed sleep.

The survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that millions of kids in the U.S. are at high risk for being chronically sleep-deprived, according to CBS News.

The study said that only one in five middle school and high school students start their school day at 8:30 a.m. or later in the morning which is the time strictly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The data was drawn from over 40,000 public schools to find out what time the first bell of school was ringing over a one-year period from 2011-2012. Results, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Friday, said that the average time school was starting was 8:03 a.m.

The report from the CDC noted that most school-aged kids do not get enough sleep, heavily weighted by having an early start-time for school during the week. For high school students, aging 14-17, the National Sleep Foundation recommends 8-10 hours of sleep per night.

Studies have shown that young people are at a very high risk for multiple health problems linked to sleep deprivation. Among the most common are depression, likelihood to become overweight, poor performance in school academics and increased potential to partake in risky behavior.

“Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety and academic performance,” said Anne Wheaton, an epidemiologist and the lead author of the study. “Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”

Health experts explain that once a child reaches puberty, their biological rhythms change causing them to be sleepier later in the night, demanding that they sleep-in later in the morning.

With some schools starting their first class as early as 7:40 a.m., a call to action by school districts across the nation has been ignited.