WEST FARGO (AP) - Not every high school student will do anything for a few more minutes of sleep.

About 175 students registered this fall to take an early bird class offered at West Fargo High School. The seven courses in "Period 0" start at 7:30 a.m., an hour before the standard school day begins.

It's no easy task obeying the snooze button at that hour, says junior Mark Schultz, who is taking U.S. history. "But it's nice," he said. "You get out of school an hour earlier."

The morning hour didn't keep Barbara Metcalf's history students from participating in a spirited discussion on whether teens should be banned from using cell phones while driving.

Only a few yawns peppered the classroom as they took notes and answered questions during a lecture on the presidency of George Washington.

West Fargo isn't the only area school offering courses before morning rush hour sets in.

A handful of Fargo North's physical education and music classes start at 7:15 a.m. and end at 8:50 a.m., the end of first period. To compensate for longer hours, the classes meet fewer days of the week.

This block scheduling gives students an opportunity to take time-intensive courses without tying up their schedule, said Principal Andy Dahlen.

Fargo South starts its schedule at 7:45 a.m. But the school's open campus plan means students can schedule a study hall for first period and show up in time for second period, which starts at 8:40 a.m.

High school start times became an issue after a 1999 National Sleep Foundation survey found 60 percent of children under age 18 complained they were tired during the day. In response to the study, schools such as Minneapolis and Edina, Minn., bumped their start times later.

Woodrow Wilson Community High School in Fargo takes start times a step later by offering some night classes. Designed for students with untraditional schedules, the courses are proving popular among the general student population.

Gary Clark, West Fargo's principal, said early classes are a practical solution to overcrowding. "We were plain running out of classrooms," he said.

A ninth-grade center scheduled to open in the fall of 2007 will ease the crowding and likely eliminate the need for early bird courses, he said.

Students and teachers don't seem to mind the earlier hours.

Although Schultz hesitated to sign up for a 7:30 a.m. history class, he doesn't regret it yet. Starting earlier means he's done with school at 2:30 p.m. and he can get to his after-school job by 3.

Teacher Randy Holzkamm said the early start works better than he thought.

He volunteered to teach an early algebra II class because he coaches volleyball and track. In the past, he'd schedule a substitute teacher to cover his class when coaching duties forced him to leave school early. Now he's usually done by the time the bus leaves.

He expected to benefit from the early morning class, but students' responses surprise him.

"I was expecting kids to be straggling in and sleeping through class," he said. "But a lot of times we start even earlier because everybody's there and ready. They've made a real commitment to be here.

"It's one of my best classes," he said.