how much time do students typically spend on homework

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Students spend three times longer on homework than average, survey reveals

Sonya Kulkarni and Pallavi Gorantla | Jan 9, 2022

Graphic by Sonya Kulkarni

The National Education Association and the National Parent Teacher Association have suggested that a healthy number of hours that students should be spending can be determined by the “10-minute rule.” This means that each grade level should have a maximum homework time incrementing by 10 minutes depending on their grade level (for instance, ninth-graders would have 90 minutes of homework, 10th-graders should have 100 minutes, and so on).

As ‘finals week’ rapidly approaches, students not only devote effort to attaining their desired exam scores but make a last attempt to keep or change the grade they have for semester one by making up homework assignments.

High schoolers reported doing an average of 2.7 hours of homework per weeknight, according to a study by the Washington Post from 2018 to 2020 of over 50,000 individuals. A survey of approximately 200 Bellaire High School students revealed that some students spend over three times this number.

The demographics of this survey included 34 freshmen, 43 sophomores, 54 juniors and 54 seniors on average.

When asked how many hours students spent on homework in a day on average, answers ranged from zero to more than nine with an average of about four hours. In contrast, polled students said that about one hour of homework would constitute a healthy number of hours.

Junior Claire Zhang said she feels academically pressured in her AP schedule, but not necessarily by the classes.

“The class environment in AP classes can feel pressuring because everyone is always working hard and it makes it difficult to keep up sometimes.” Zhang said.

A total of 93 students reported that the minimum grade they would be satisfied with receiving in a class would be an A. This was followed by 81 students, who responded that a B would be the minimum acceptable grade. 19 students responded with a C and four responded with a D.

“I am happy with the classes I take, but sometimes it can be very stressful to try to keep up,” freshman Allyson Nguyen said. “I feel academically pressured to keep an A in my classes.”

Up to 152 students said that grades are extremely important to them, while 32 said they generally are more apathetic about their academic performance.

Last year, nine valedictorians graduated from Bellaire. They each achieved a grade point average of 5.0. HISD has never seen this amount of valedictorians in one school, and as of now there are 14 valedictorians.

“I feel that it does degrade the title of valedictorian because as long as a student knows how to plan their schedule accordingly and make good grades in the classes, then anyone can be valedictorian,” Zhang said.

Bellaire offers classes like physical education and health in the summer. These summer classes allow students to skip the 4.0 class and not put it on their transcript. Some electives also have a 5.0 grade point average like debate.

Close to 200 students were polled about Bellaire having multiple valedictorians. They primarily answered that they were in favor of Bellaire having multiple valedictorians, which has recently attracted significant acclaim .

Senior Katherine Chen is one of the 14 valedictorians graduating this year and said that she views the class of 2022 as having an extraordinary amount of extremely hardworking individuals.

“I think it was expected since freshman year since most of us knew about the others and were just focused on doing our personal best,” Chen said.

Chen said that each valedictorian achieved the honor on their own and deserves it.

“I’m honestly very happy for the other valedictorians and happy that Bellaire is such a good school,” Chen said. “I don’t feel any less special with 13 other valedictorians.”

Nguyen said that having multiple valedictorians shows just how competitive the school is.

“It’s impressive, yet scary to think about competing against my classmates,” Nguyen said.

Offering 30 AP classes and boasting a significant number of merit-based scholars Bellaire can be considered a competitive school.

“I feel academically challenged but not pressured,” Chen said. “Every class I take helps push me beyond my comfort zone but is not too much to handle.”

Students have the opportunity to have off-periods if they’ve met all their credits and are able to maintain a high level of academic performance. But for freshmen like Nguyen, off periods are considered a privilege. Nguyen said she usually has an hour to five hours worth of work everyday.

“Depending on the day, there can be a lot of work, especially with extra curriculars,” Nguyen said. “Although, I am a freshman, so I feel like it’s not as bad in comparison to higher grades.”

According to the survey of Bellaire students, when asked to evaluate their agreement with the statement “students who get better grades tend to be smarter overall than students who get worse grades,” responders largely disagreed.

Zhang said that for students on the cusp of applying to college, it can sometimes be hard to ignore the mental pressure to attain good grades.

“As a junior, it’s really easy to get extremely anxious about your GPA,” Zhang said. “It’s also a very common but toxic practice to determine your self-worth through your grades but I think that we just need to remember that our mental health should also come first. Sometimes, it’s just not the right day for everyone and one test doesn’t determine our smartness.”

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Comments (8).

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Anonymous • Jul 16, 2024 at 3:27 pm

didnt realy help

Anonymous • Nov 21, 2023 at 10:32 am

It’s not really helping me understand how much.

josh • May 9, 2023 at 9:58 am

Kassie • May 6, 2022 at 12:29 pm

Im using this for an English report. This is great because on of my sources needed to be from another student. Homework drives me insane. Im glad this is very updated too!!

Kaylee Swaim • Jan 25, 2023 at 9:21 pm

I am also using this for an English report. I have to do an argumentative essay about banning homework in schools and this helps sooo much!

Izzy McAvaney • Mar 15, 2023 at 6:43 pm

I am ALSO using this for an English report on cutting down school days, homework drives me insane!!

E. Elliott • Apr 25, 2022 at 6:42 pm

I’m from Louisiana and am actually using this for an English Essay thanks for the information it was very informative.

Nabila Wilson • Jan 10, 2022 at 6:56 pm

Interesting with the polls! I didn’t realize about 14 valedictorians, that’s crazy.

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More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests.

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.   "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .   The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.   Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.   Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.   "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.   Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.   Their study found that too much homework is associated with:   • Greater stress : 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.   • Reductions in health : In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.   • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits : Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.   A balancing act   The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.   Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.   "This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..   Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.   "Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.   High-performing paradox   In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."   Student perspectives   The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.   The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Clifton B. Parker is a writer at the Stanford News Service .

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The way U.S. teens spend their time is changing, but differences between boys and girls persist

Teens today are spending their time differently than they did a decade ago. They’re devoting more time to sleep and homework, and less time to paid work and socializing. But what has not changed are the differences between teen boys and girls in time spent on leisure, grooming, homework, housework and errands, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Overall, teens (ages 15 to 17) spend an hour a day, on average, doing homework during the school year, up from 44 minutes a day about a decade ago and 30 minutes in the mid-1990s.

Teens are also getting more shut-eye than they did in the past. They are clocking an average of over nine and a half hours of sleep a night, an increase of 22 minutes compared with teens a decade ago and almost an hour more than those in the mid-1990s. Sleep patterns fluctuate quite a bit – on weekends, teens average about 11 hours, while on weekdays they typically get just over nine hours a night. (While these findings are derived from time diaries in which respondents record the amount of time they slept on the prior night, results from other types of surveys suggest teens are getting fewer hours of sleep .) 

Teens now enjoy more than five and a half hours of leisure a day (5 hours, 44 minutes). The biggest chunk of teens’ daily leisure time is spent on screens: 3 hours and 4 minutes on average. This figure, which can include time spent gaming, surfing the web, watching videos and watching TV, has held steady over the past decade. On weekends, screen time increases to almost four hours a day (3 hours, 53 minutes), and on weekdays teens are spending 2 hours and 44 minutes on screens.

Time spent playing sports has held steady at around 45 minutes, as has the time teens spend in other types of leisure such as shopping for clothes, listening to music and reading for pleasure.

Time spent by teens in other leisure activities has declined. Over the past decade, the time spent socializing – including attending parties, extracurriculars, sporting or other entertainment events as well as spending time with others in person or on the phone – has dropped by 16 minutes, to 1 hour and 13 minutes a day.

Teens also are spending less time on paid work during the school year than their predecessors: 26 minutes a day, on average, compared with 49 minutes about a decade ago and 57 minutes in the mid-1990s. Much of this decline reflects the fact that teens are less likely to work today than in the past; among employed teens, the amount of time spent working is not much different now than it was around 2005.

While the way teens overall spend their time has changed in a number of ways, persistent gender differences in time use remain. Teen boys are spending an average of about six hours a day in leisure time, compared with roughly five hours a day for girls – driven largely by the fact that boys are spending about an hour (58 minutes) more a day than girls engaged in screen time. Boys also spend more time playing sports: 59 minutes vs. 33 minutes for girls.

On the flip side, girls spend 10 more minutes a day, on average, shopping for items such as clothes or going to the mall (15 minutes vs. 5 minutes).

Teen girls also spend more time than boys on grooming activities, such as bathing, getting dressed, getting haircuts, and other activities related to their hygiene and appearance. Girls spend an average of about an hour a day on these types of tasks (1 hour, 3 minutes); boys spend 40 minutes on them.

Girls also devote 21 more minutes a day to homework than boys do – 71 minutes vs. 50 minutes, on average, during the school year. This pattern has held steady over the past decade, as the amount of time spent on homework has risen equally for boys and girls.

When it comes to the amount of time spent on housework, the differences between boys and girls reflect gender dynamics that are also evident among adults . Teenage girls spend 38 minutes a day, on average, helping around the house during the school year, compared with 24 minutes a day for boys. The bulk of this gap is driven by the fact that girls spend more than twice as much time cleaning up and preparing food as boys do (29 minutes vs. 12 minutes). There are not significant differences in the amount of time boys and girls spend on home maintenance and lawn care.

Girls also spend more time running errands, such as shopping for groceries (21 minutes vs. 11 minutes for boys).

In addition to these differences in how they spend their time, the way boys and girls feel about their day also differs in some key ways. A new survey by Pew Research Center of teens ages 13 to 17 finds that 36% of girls say they feel tense or nervous about their day every or almost every day; 23% of boys say the same. At the same time, girls are more likely than boys to say they get excited daily or almost daily by something they study in school (33% vs. 21%). And while similar shares of boys and girls say they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades, be involved in extracurricular activities or fit in socially, girls are more likely than boys to say they face a lot of pressure to look good (35% vs. 23%).

This analysis is based primarily on time diary data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), which has been sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and annually conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau since 2003. The ATUS produces a nationally representative sample of respondents, drawn from the Current Population Survey.

Most of the analyses are based on respondents in the 2003-2006 and the 2014-2017 ATUS samples (referred to in the text as “2005” and “2015”). Data regarding time use in the mid-1990s is based on 1992-1994 data from the American Heritage Time Use Survey (AHTUS). For all time points, multiple years of data were combined in order to increase sample size. Because time use among teens can vary so much between the summer and the school year, only data for September through June are used for these analyses. Although focused on the school year, the data also reflect time use during school holidays, such as spring break.

These time diaries track in detail how Americans spend their time, focusing on each respondent’s primary activity (i.e., the main thing they were doing) sequentially for the prior day, including the start and end times for each activity.

All data were accessed via the ATUS-X website made available through IPUMS .

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Gretchen Livingston is a former senior researcher focusing on fertility and family demographics at Pew Research Center .

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What’s the Right Amount of Homework?

Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school—but there are risks to assigning too much.

Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.

The National PTA and the National Education Association support the “ 10-minute homework guideline ”—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students’ needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

The guideline doesn’t account for students who may need to spend more—or less—time on assignments. In class, teachers can make adjustments to support struggling students, but at home, an assignment that takes one student 30 minutes to complete may take another twice as much time—often for reasons beyond their control. And homework can widen the achievement gap, putting students from low-income households and students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage.

However, the 10-minute guideline is useful in setting a limit: When kids spend too much time on homework, there are real consequences to consider.

Small Benefits for Elementary Students

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don’t have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989 ; Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). A more effective activity may be nightly reading, especially if parents are involved. The benefits of reading are clear: If students aren’t proficient readers by the end of third grade, they’re less likely to succeed academically and graduate from high school (Fiester, 2013 ).

For second-grade teacher Jacqueline Fiorentino, the minor benefits of homework did not outweigh the potential drawback of turning young children against school at an early age, so she experimented with dropping mandatory homework. “Something surprising happened: They started doing more work at home,” Fiorentino writes . “This inspiring group of 8-year-olds used their newfound free time to explore subjects and topics of interest to them.” She encouraged her students to read at home and offered optional homework to extend classroom lessons and help them review material.

Moderate Benefits for Middle School Students

As students mature and develop the study skills necessary to delve deeply into a topic—and to retain what they learn—they also benefit more from homework. Nightly assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work, and research shows that homework can have moderate benefits for middle school students (Cooper et al., 2006 ). Recent research also shows that online math homework, which can be designed to adapt to students’ levels of understanding, can significantly boost test scores (Roschelle et al., 2016 ).

There are risks to assigning too much, however: A 2015 study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework, their math and science test scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015 ). Crossing that upper limit can drain student motivation and focus. The researchers recommend that “homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort.” Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework “with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning.”

In other words, it’s the quality of homework that matters, not the quantity. Brian Sztabnik, a veteran middle and high school English teacher, suggests that teachers take a step back and ask themselves these five questions :

• How long will it take to complete?
• Have all learners been considered?
• Will an assignment encourage future success?
• Will an assignment place material in a context the classroom cannot?
• Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?

More Benefits for High School Students, but Risks as Well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn’t overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). When students spend too much time on homework—more than two hours each night—it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013 ).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning—it may be more a result of issues they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014 ). In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours—far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior. Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents Play a Key Role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning (Walker et al., 2004 ). It can provide insights into a child’s strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child’s life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it’s also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015 ). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling—students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017 ; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008 ; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017 ). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their kids, it’s important to not make it a source of conflict.

Analyzing ‘the homework gap’ among high school students

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, michael hansen and michael hansen senior fellow - brown center on education policy , the herman and george r. brown chair - governance studies diana quintero diana quintero former senior research analyst, brown center on education policy - the brookings institution, ph.d. student - vanderbilt university.

August 10, 2017

Researchers have struggled for decades to identify a causal, or even correlational, relationship between time spent in school and improved learning outcomes for students. Some studies have focused on the length of a school year while others have focused on hours in a day and others on hours in the week .

In this blog post, we will look at time spent outside of school–specifically time spent doing homework–among different racial and socio-economic groups. We will use data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to shed light on those differences and then attempt to explain those gaps, using ATUS data and other evidence.

What we know about out-of-school time

Measuring the relationship between out-of-school time and outcomes like test scores can be difficult. Researchers are primarily confounded by an inability to determine what compels students to choose homework during their time off over other activities. Are those who spend more time on homework just extra motivated? Or are they struggling students who need to work harder to keep up? What role do social expectations from parents or peers play?

Previous studies have examined the impact of this outside time use on educational outcomes for students. A 2007 study using data from Berea College in Kentucky identified a causal relationship between hours spent studying and a student’s academic performance through an interesting measure. The researchers took advantage of randomly assigned college roommates, paying attention to those who came to campus with a video game console in tow. They hypothesized students randomly assigned to a roommate without a video game console would study more, since all other factors remained equal. That hypothesis held up, and that group also received significantly higher grades, demonstrating the causal relationship.

Other research has relied on data collected through the American Time Use Survey, a study of how Americans spend their time, and shown the existence of a gender gap and a parental education gap in homework time. Other studies have looked at the relationship between holding a job and student’s time use in discretionary activities , like sleep, media consumption, and time spent on homework. We are curious about out-of-school differences in homework time by race and income.

Descriptive statistics of time use

We began with a general sample of 2,575 full-time high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 from the ATUS, restricting the sample to their answers about time spent on homework during weekdays and school months (September to May). Among all high school students surveyed (those that reported completing their homework and those that did not), the time allocated to complete homework amounted to less than an hour per day, despite the fact that high school teachers report they assign an average of 3.5 hours of homework per day.

To explore racial or income-based differences, in Figure 1, we plot the minutes that students reporting spending on homework separately by their racial/ethnic group and family income. We observed a time gap between racial groups, with Asian students spending the most time on homework (nearly two hours a day). Similarly, we observe a time gap by the students’ family income.

We can also use ATUS data to isolate when students do homework by race and by income. In Figure 2, we plot the percentage of high school students in each racial and income group doing homework by the time of day. Percentages remain low during the school day and then expectedly increase when students get home, with more Asian students doing more homework and working later into the night than other racial groups. Low-income students reported doing less homework per hour than their non-low-income peers.

Initial attempts to explain the homework gap

We hypothesized that these racial and income-based time gaps could potentially be explained by other factors, like work, time spent caring for others, and parental education. We tested these hypotheses by separating groups based on particular characteristics and comparing the average number of minutes per day spent on homework amongst the comparison groups.

Students who work predictably reported spending less time on educational activities, so if working disproportionately affected particular racial or income groups, then work could help explain the time gap. Students who worked allocated on average 20 minutes less for homework than their counterparts who did not work. Though low-income students worked more hours than their peers, they largely maintained a similar level of homework time by reducing their leisure or extracurricular activities. Therefore, the time gap on homework changed only slightly with the inclusion of work as a factor.

We also incorporated time spent taking care of others in the household. Though a greater percentage of low-income students take care of other household members, we found that this does not have a statistically significant effect on homework because students reduce leisure, rather than homework, in an attempt to help their families. Therefore, this variable again does not explain the time gaps.

Finally, we considered parental education, since parents with more education have been shown to encourage their children to value school more and have the resources to ensure homework is completed more easily. Our analysis showed students with at least one parent with any post-secondary degree (associate or above) reported spending more time on homework than their counterparts whose parents do not hold a degree; however, gaps by race still existed, even holding parental education constant. Turning to income levels, we found that parental education is more correlated with homework time among low-income students, reducing the time gap between income groups to only eight minutes.

Societal explanations

Our analysis of ATUS could not fully explain this gap in time spent on homework, especially among racial groups. Instead, we believe that viewing homework as an outcome of the culture of the school and the expectations of teachers, rather than an outcome of a student’s effort, may provide some reasons for its persistence.

Many studies, including recent research , have shown that teachers perceive students of color as academically inferior to their white peers. A 2016 study by Seth Gershenson et al. showed that this expectations gap can also depend on the race of the teacher. In a country where minority students make up nearly half of all public school students, yet minority teachers comprise just 18 percent of the teacher workforce, these differences in expectations matter.

Students of color are also less likely to attend high schools that offer advanced courses (including Advanced Placement courses) that would likely assign more homework, and thus access to rigorous courses may partially explain the gaps as well.

Research shows a similar, if less well-documented, gap by income, with teachers reporting lower expectations and dimmer futures for their low-income students. Low-income students and students of color may be assigned less homework based on lower expectations for their success, thus preventing them from learning as much and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy .

In conclusion, these analyses of time use revealed a substantial gap in homework by race and by income group that could not be entirely explained by work, taking care of others, or parental education. Additionally, differences in educational achievement, especially as measured on standardized tests, have been well-documented by race and by income . These gaps deserve our attention, but we should be wary of blaming disadvantaged groups. Time use is an outcome reflecting multiple factors, not simply motivation, and a greater understanding of that should help raise expectations–and therefore, educational achievement–all around.

Sarah Novicoff contributed to this post.

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How Much Time Should Be Spent on Homework?

At the elementary level homework should be brief, at your child’s ability level and involve frequent, voluntary and high interest activities. Young students require high levels of feedback and/or supervision to help them complete assignments correctly. Accurate homework completion is influenced by your child’s ability, the difficulty of the task, and the amount of feedback your child receives. When assigning homework, your child’s teachers may struggle to create a balance at this age between ability, task difficulty and feedback. Unfortunately, there are no simple guiding principles.

We can assure you, however, that your input and feedback on a nightly basis is an essential component in helping your child benefit from the homework experience.

What is the recommended time in elementary school?

In first through third grade, students should receive one to three assignments per week, taking them no more than fifteen to twenty minutes. In fourth through sixth grade, students should receive two to four assignments per week, lasting between fifteen and forty-five minutes. At this age, the primarily goal of homework is to help your child develop the independent work and learning skills that will become critical in the higher grades. In the upper grades, the more time spent on homework the greater the achievement gains.

What is the recommended time in middle and high school?

For students in middle and high school grades there are greater overall benefits from time engaged in practicing and thinking about school work. These benefits do not appear to depend as much upon immediate supervision or feedback as they do for elementary students. In seventh through ninth grade we recommend students receive three to five sets of assignments per week, lasting between forty-five and seventy-five minutes per set. In high school students will receive four to five sets of homework per week, taking them between seventy-five and 150 minutes per set to complete.

As children progress through school, homework and the amount of time engaged in homework increases in importance. Due to the significance of homework at the older age levels, it is not surprising that there is more homework assigned. Furthermore, homework is always assigned in college preparatory classes and assigned at least three quarters of the time in special education and vocational training classes. Thus at any age, homework may indicate our academic expectations of children.

Regardless of the amount of homework assigned, many students unsuccessful or struggling in school spend less rather than more time engaged in homework. It is not surprising that students spending less time completing homework may eventually not achieve as consistently as those who complete their homework.

Does this mean that time devoted to homework is the key component necessary for achievement?

We are not completely certain. Some American educators have concluded that if students in America spent as much time doing homework as students in Asian countries they might perform academically as well. It is tempting to assume such a cause and effect relationship.

However, this relationship appears to be an overly simple conclusion. We know that homework is important as one of several influential factors in school success. However, other variables, including student ability, achievement, motivation and teaching quality influence the time students spend with homework tasks. Many students and their parents have told us they experience less difficulty being motivated and completing homework in classes in which they enjoyed the subject, the instruction, the assignments and the teachers.

The benefits from homework are the greatest for students completing the most homework and doing so correctly. Thus, students who devote time to homework are probably on a path to improved achievement. This path also includes higher quality instruction, greater achievement motivation and better skill levels.

Authors: Dr. Sam Goldstein and Dr. Sydney Zentall

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Wyoming.

Make a difference in your state by volunteering to start a state affiliate to help individuals with learning disabilities in your state.

Contact LDA of America at [email protected] to inquire about starting a state affiliate.

LDA of Wisconsin’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://ldaofwisconsin.org/

LDA of West Virginia’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Email: [email protected]

LDA of Washington’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

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Visit our Website: https://ldawa.org

LDA of Virginia’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://ldava.org

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Vermont.

LDA of Utah’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldau.org/

Visit our website: https://www.ldau.org/

Phone: 801.553.9156

LDA of Texas’ mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDATexas/

Visit our Website: https://ldatx.org

LDA of Tennessee’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

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LDA of South Carolina’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAofSC

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldapa

Visit our website: https://ldaofpa.org

Phone: 412.212.7087

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Oregon.

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LDA of Ohio’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://lda-oh.org

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAofNorthCarolina

Visit our Website: https://ldanc.org

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Visit our website: https://ldanys.org

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LDA of New Jersey’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningDisabilitiesAssociationofNJ/

Visit our website: https://ldanj.org

LDA of New Hampshire’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://nhlda.org

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LDA of Nebraska’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningDisabilityNE/

The Learning Disabilities Association of Montana (LDA-MT) is one of the state affiliates of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, as a nonprofit volunteer organization of parents, professionals, and adults with learning disabilities. Our mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education, and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://ldamontana.org

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAMinnesota/

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ldaminnesota

Visit our Website: https://www.ldaminnesota.org/

Phone: 952.582.6000

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063726155725

Visit our website: https://ldaillinois.org

Phone: 708.430.7532

The Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa is dedicated to identifying causes and promoting prevention of learning disabilities and to enhancing the quality of life for all individuals with learning disabilities and their families by:

• Encouraging effective identification and intervention,
• Fostering research, and
• Protecting the rights of individuals with learning disabilities under the law.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDA.Iowa

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ldaofiowa

Visit our website: https://ldaiowa.org

Phone: 515.209.2290

LDA of Michigan’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAmichigan

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/LDAmichigan

Visit our Website: https://ldaofmichigan.org

Phone: 616.284.1650

The mission of LDA of Massachusetts is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Affiliate Contact: Kristen Lech Contact Email: [email protected]

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldamd/

Visit our website: https://ldamd.org/

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldame

Visit our website: https://ldame.org

The Learning Disabilities Association of Louisiana (LDA-LA) is one of the state affiliates of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, as a nonprofit volunteer organization of parents, professionals, and adults with learning disabilities. Our mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education, and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAofLouisiana/

LDA of Kentucky’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067524906403

Visit our Website: https://www.ldaofky.org/

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Kansas.

LDA of Indiana’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningDisabilitiesAssociationofIndiana/

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Idaho.

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LDA of Georgia’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningDisabilitiesAssociationofGeorgia/

Visit our website: https://ldaga.org

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Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAFlorida/

Visit our website: https://lda-florida.org

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in the District of Columbia.

LDA of Connecticut’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAofCT

Visit our Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ldaofconnecticut/

LDA of Delaware’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Affiliate Contact: Fern Goldstein

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldadelaware/

Visit our Website: https://ldadelaware.org/

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Colorado.

LDA of California’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://ldacalifornia.org

Affiliate Contact: EunMi Cho

LDA of Arkansas’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ldarkansas/

Visit our website: https://lda-arkansas.org

LDA of Arizona’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Visit our website: https://ldaofarizona.org

LDA of Alabama’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy.

Find Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDAAlabama/

Visit Our Website: https://ldaalabama.org/

LDA of America does not currently have an active state affiliate in Alaska.

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How much time should students spend doing homework?

When a teenager arrives home from school in the afternoon, the last thing he or she wants to worry about is homework. After all, there’s TV to be watched, friends to hang out with and maybe even a job to fulfill.

However, recent research from the University of Oviedo in Spain indicates homework needn’t take up an entire night. In fact, researchers found the perfect amount of time per day for homework was just one hour.

The study, which looked at more than 7,000 students living in Spain approximately 13 years old, found a positive correlation between the amount of homework a student completed and the level of the child’s understanding — and that optimal level was achieved in one hour.

But don’t get too excited too quickly.

Researchers say such results aren’t fully conclusive. The authors note that though they found a correlation between an hour of studying and the optimal level of learning, it doesn’t necessarily translate to better test results.

As a matter of fact, a variety of other studies indicate otherwise.

According to a 2012 article published in The Guardian , a study from the Department for Education in the UK found that children who put in two to three hours a night of homework were more likely to get better grades in school.

The study found that one of the main determinants of a student’s attitude toward homework came from the influence of the school. When students were expected to do thorough homework, they were likely to spend more time completing it.

“That’s one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better,” said Pam Sammons , an education professor at Oxford University. “They tend to put more time in. It’s to do with your effort as well as your ability.”

Sammons noted that homework doesn’t need to occupy an entire night, but there are benefits to spending a few extra minutes on assignments.

“What we’re not saying is that everyone should do large amounts,” said Sammons. “But if we could shift some of those who spend no time or half an hour into doing one to two hours.”

And perhaps you’ve heard the popular saying of “10 minutes per night per grade” coined by researcher Harris Cooper. Cooper recommends 10-20 minutes of homework per night beginning in first grade, then an additional 10 minutes added for each grade level after that.

But even though there may not be a one-size-fits-all recommendation, it is possible that too much studying can be detrimental. Just last year, research from Stanford University reported that high school students’ grades were negatively affected when they spent too much time with homework.“Any student who is doing more than three and a half hours of homework a night is actually at risk for higher stress levels and poor mental and physical health,” said Denise Pope , a senior lecturer in Stanford’s School of Education who participated in the study.

Kevin Raiford has previously alleged that he was ousted from the program after he resisted a state senator’s efforts to get him to give federal money to unqualified companies.

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A mother has filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District and the family of a child she says physically and verbally assaulted her son on a school bus.

The CCSD survey will be used to determine desired characteristics for the next superintendent after former Superintendent Jesus Jara resigned this year.

Beam Hall — closed to the public since three professors were shot and killed Dec. 6 — reopened with new security features and armed officers.

As 300,000 Clark County students started school, they experienced increased safety and security initiatives, new facilities and fresh books.

The kick off of the 2024-25 school year in Southern Nevada was marked with the addition of crossing guards for the first time at many of the middle schools throughout the area.

Green Valley High School journalism teacher Eric Johnston, 48, is remembered during a memorial service.

Another school year starts Monday in Clark County, and that means children will be making their way to and from school and school zones will again be in effect during the morning and afternoon.

The new school year kicks off after a summerlong effort by the Clark County School District to hire teachers, get a handle on chronically absent students and improve school safety.

How Much Time Do College Students Spend on Homework

by Jack Tai | Oct 9, 2019 | Articles

Does college life involve more studying or socializing?

Find out how much time college students need to devote to their homework in order to succeed in class.

We all know that it takes hard work to succeed in college and earn top grades.

To find out more about the time demands of studying and learning, let’s review the average homework amounts of college students.

HowtoLearn.com expert, Jack Tai, CEO of OneClass.com shows how homework improves grades in college and an average of how much time is required.

How Many Hours Do College Students Spend on Homework?

Classes in college are much different from those in high school.

For students in high school, a large part of learning occurs in the classroom with homework used to support class activities.

One of the first thing that college students need to learn is how to read and remember more quickly. It gives them a competitive benefit in their grades and when they learn new information to escalate their career.

Taking a speed reading course that shows you how to learn at the same time is one of the best ways for students to complete their reading assignments and their homework.

However, in college, students spend a shorter period in class and spend more time learning outside of the classroom.

This shift to an independent learning structure means that college students should expect to spend more time on homework than they did during high school.

In college, a good rule of thumb for homework estimates that for each college credit you take, you’ll spend one hour in the classroom and two to three hours on homework each week.

These homework tasks can include readings, working on assignments, or studying for exams.

Based upon these estimates, a three-credit college class would require each week to include approximately three hours attending lectures and six to nine hours of homework.

Extrapolating this out to the 15-credit course load of a full-time student, that would be 15 hours in the classroom and 30 to 45 hours studying and doing homework.

These time estimates demonstrate that college students have significantly more homework than the 10 hours per week average among high school students. In fact, doing homework in college can take as much time as a full-time job.

Students should keep in mind that these homework amounts are averages.

Students will find that some professors assign more or less homework. Students may also find that some classes assign very little homework in the beginning of the semester, but increase later on in preparation for exams or when a major project is due. 

There can even be variation based upon the major with some areas of study requiring more lab work or reading.

Do College Students Do Homework on Weekends?

Based on the quantity of homework in college, it’s nearly certain that students will be spending some of their weekends doing homework.

For example, if each weekday, a student spends three hours in class and spends five hours on homework, there’s still at least five hours of homework to do on the weekend.

When considering how homework schedules can affect learning, it’s important to remember that even though college students face a significant amount of homework, one of the best learning strategies is to space out study sessions into short time blocks.

This includes not just doing homework every day of the week, but also establishing short study blocks in the morning, afternoon, and evening. With this approach, students can avoid cramming on Sunday night to be ready for class.

What’s the Best Way to Get Help with Your Homework?

In college, there are academic resources built into campus life to support learning.

For example, you may have access to an on-campus learning center or tutoring facilities. You may also have the support of teaching assistants or regular office hours.

That’s why OneClass recommends a course like How to Read a Book in a Day and Remember It which gives a c hoice to support your learning. 

Another choice is on demand tutoring.

They send detailed, step-by-step solutions within just 24 hours, and frequently, answers are sent in less than 12 hours.

When students have on-demand access to homework help, it’s possible to avoid the poor grades that can result from unfinished homework.

Plus, 24/7 Homework Help makes it easy to ask a question. Simply snap a photo and upload it to the platform.

That’s all tutors need to get started preparing your solution.

Rather than retyping questions or struggling with math formulas, asking questions and getting answers is as easy as click and go.

Homework Help supports coursework for both high school and college students across a wide range of subjects. Moreover, students can access OneClass’ knowledge base of previously answered homework questions.

Simply browse by subject or search the directory to find out if another student struggled to learn the same class material.

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How Much Time Should Be Spent On Homework?

• Dr. Sam Goldstein , Sydney S. Zentall

At the elementary level we suggest that homework is brief, at your child’s ability level and involve frequent, voluntary and high interest activities. Young students require high levels of feedback and/or supervision to help them complete assignments correctly. Accurate homework completion is influenced by your child’s ability, the difficulty of the task and the amount of feedback your child receives. When assigning homework, your child’s teachers may struggle to create a balance at this age between ability, task difficulty and feedback. Unfortunately, there are no simple guiding principles. We can assure you, however, that your input and feedback on a nightly basis is an essential component in helping your child benefit from the homework experience. In first through third grade, students should receive one to three assignments per week, taking them no more than fifteen to twenty minutes. In fourth through sixth grade, students should receive two to four assignments per week, lasting between fifteen and forty-five minutes. At this age, the primarily goal of homework is to help your child develop the independent work and learning skills that will become critical in the higher grades. In the upper grades, the more time spent on homework the greater the achievement gains.

For students in middle and high school grades there are greater overall benefits from time engaged in practicing and thinking about school work. These benefits do not appear to depend as much upon immediate supervision or feedback as they do for elementary students. In seventh through ninth grade we recommend students receive three to five sets of assignments per week, lasting between forty-five and seventy-five minutes per set. In high school students will receive four to five sets of homework per week, taking them between seventy-five and 150 minutes per set to complete.

As children progress through school, homework and the amount of time engaged in homework increases in importance. Due to the significance of homework at the older age levels, it is not surprising that there is more homework assigned. Furthermore, homework is always assigned in college preparatory classes and assigned at least three quarters of the time in special education and vocational training classes. Thus at any age, homework may indicate our academic expectations of children.

Regardless of the amount of homework assigned, many students unsuccessful or struggling in school, spend less rather than more time engaged in homework. It is not surprising that students spending less time completing homework may eventually not achieve as consistently as those who complete their homework. Does this mean that time devoted to homework is the key component necessary for achievement? We are not completely certain. Some American educators have concluded that if students in America spent as much time doing homework as students in Asian countries they might perform academically as well. It is tempting to assume such a cause and effect relationship. However, this relationship appears to be an overly simple conclusion. We know that homework is important as one of several influential factors in school success. However, other variables, including student ability, achievement, motivation and teaching quality influence the time students spend with homework tasks. Many students and their parents have told us they experience less difficulty being motivated and completing homework in classes in which they enjoyed the subject, the instruction, the assignments and the teachers.

The benefits from homework are the greatest for students completing the most homework and doing so correctly. Thus, students who devote time to homework are probably on a path to improved achievement. This path also includes higher quality instruction, greater achievement motivation and better skill levels.

This column is excerpted and condensed from, Seven Steps to Homework Success: A Family Guide for Solving Common Homework Problems by Sydney S. Zentall, Ph.D. and Sam Goldstein, Ph.D. (1999, Specialty Press, Inc.).

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Student Study Time Matters

Vicki nelson.

Most college students want to do well, but they don’t always know what is required to do well. Finding and spending quality study time is one of the first and most important skills that your student can master, but it's rarely as simple as it sounds.

If a student is struggling in class, one of the first questions I ask is, “How much time do you spend studying?”

Although it’s not the only element, time spent studying is one of the basics, so it’s a good place to start. Once we examine time, we can move on to other factors such as how, where, what and when students are studying, but we start with time .

If your student is struggling , help them explore how much time they are spending on schoolwork.

How Much Is Enough?

Very often, a student’s answer to how much time they spend hitting the books doesn’t match the expectation that most professors have for college students. There’s a disconnect about “how much is enough?”

Most college classes meet for a number of “credit hours” – typically 3 or 4. The general rule of thumb (and the definition of credit hour adopted by the Department of Education) is that students should spend approximately 2–3 hours on outside-of-class work for each credit hour or hour spent in the classroom.

Therefore, a student taking five 3-credit classes spends 15 hours each week in class and should be spending 30 hours on work outside of class , or 45 hours/week total.

When we talk about this, I can see on students’ faces that for most of them this isn’t even close to their reality!

According to one survey conducted by the National Survey of Student Engagement, most college students spend an average of 10–13 hours/week studying, or less than 2 hours/day and less than half of what is expected. Only about 11% of students spend more than 25 hours/week on schoolwork.

Why Such a Disconnect?

Warning: math ahead!

It may be that students fail to do the math – or fail to flip the equation.

College expectations are significantly different from the actual time that most high school students spend on outside-of-school work, but the total picture may not be that far off. In order to help students understand, we crunch some more numbers.

Most high school students spend approximately 6 hours/day or 30 hours/week in school. In a 180 day school year, students spend approximately 1,080 hours in school. Some surveys suggest that the average amount of time that most high school students spend on homework is 4–5 hours/week. That’s approximately 1 hour/day or 180 hours/year. So that puts the average time spent on class and homework combined at 1,260 hours/school year.

Now let’s look at college: Most semesters are approximately 15 weeks long. That student with 15 credits (5 classes) spends 225 hours in class and, with the formula above, should be spending 450 hours studying. That’s 675 hours/semester or 1,350 for the year. That’s a bit more than the 1,260 in high school, but only 90 hours, or an average of 3 hours more/week.

The problem is not necessarily the number of hours, it's that many students haven’t flipped the equation and recognized the time expected outside of class.

In high school, students’ 6-hour school day was not under their control but they did much of their work during that time. That hour-or-so a day of homework was an add-on. (Some students definitely spend more than 1 hour/day, but we’re looking at averages.)

In college, students spend a small number of hours in class (approximately 15/week) and are expected to complete almost all their reading, writing and studying outside of class. The expectation doesn’t require significantly more hours; the hours are simply allocated differently – and require discipline to make sure they happen. What students sometimes see as “free time” is really just time that they are responsible for scheduling themselves.

Help Your Student Adjust to College Academics >

How to Fit It All In?

Once we look at these numbers, the question that students often ask is, “How am I supposed to fit that into my week? There aren’t enough hours!”

Again: more math.

I remind students that there are 168 hours in a week. If a student spends 45 hours on class and studying, that leaves 123 hours. If the student sleeps 8 hours per night (few do!), that’s another 56 hours which leaves 67 hours, or at least 9.5 hours/day for work or play.

Many colleges recommend that full-time students should work no more than 20 hours/week at a job if they want to do well in their classes and this calculation shows why.

Making It Work

Many students may not spend 30 or more hours/week studying, but understanding what is expected may motivate them to put in some additional study time. That takes planning, organizing and discipline. Students need to be aware of obstacles and distractions (social media, partying, working too many hours) that may interfere with their ability to find balance.

What Can My Student Do?

Here are a few things your student can try.

• Start by keeping a time journal for a few days or a week . Keep a log and record what you are doing each hour as you go through your day. At the end of the week, observe how you have spent your time. How much time did you actually spend studying? Socializing? Sleeping? Texting? On social media? At a job? Find the “time stealers.”
• Prioritize studying. Don’t hope that you’ll find the time. Schedule your study time each day – make it an appointment with yourself and stick to it.
• Limit phone time. This isn’t easy. In fact, many students find it almost impossible to turn off their phones even for a short time. It may take some practice but putting the phone away during designated study time can make a big difference in how efficient and focused you can be.
• Spend time with friends who study . It’s easier to put in the time when the people around you are doing the same thing. Find an accountability partner who will help you stay on track.
• If you have a job, ask if there is any flexibility with shifts or responsibilities. Ask whether you can schedule fewer shifts at prime study times like exam periods or when a big paper or project is due. You might also look for an on-campus job that will allow some study time while on the job. Sometimes working at a computer lab, library, information or check-in desk will provide down time. If so, be sure to use it wisely.
• Work on strengthening your time management skills. Block out study times and stick to the plan. Plan ahead for long-term assignments and schedule bite-sized pieces. Don’t underestimate how much time big assignments will take.

Being a full-time student is a full-time job. Start by looking at the numbers with your student and then encourage them to create strategies that will keep them on task.

With understanding and practice, your student can plan for and spend the time needed to succeed in college.

Get stories and expert advice on all things related to college and parenting.

Table of Contents

• Rhythm of the First Semester
• Tips from a Student on Making It Through the First Year
• Who Is Your First‑Year Student?
• Campus Resources: Your Cheat Sheet
• Handling Roommate Issues

• Study Time Matters
• The Importance of Professors and Advisors
• Should My Student Withdraw from a Difficult Course?

• Essential Health Conversations
• A Mental Health Game Plan for College Students and Families
• Assertiveness is the Secret Sauce
• Is Your Student at Risk for an Eating Disorder?

• Learning to Manage Money
• 5 Ways to Begin Career Prep in the First Year
• The Value of Outside Opportunities

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High Schools Assign 3.5 Hours of Homework a Night, Survey Estimates

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Amidst the current backlash against homework, it would be helpful to get some real data on how much homework we’re actually talking about.

The college of education at the for-profit University of Phoenix recently took a stab at it, asking Harris Poll to survey teachers about the hours of homework they require and why they assign it. The pollsters talked to 1,005 teachers in public, private, and parochial schools across the United States, a group designed to be a representative sample of the nation’s 3.7 million teachers.

High school teachers interviewed said they assign an average of 3.5 hours worth of homework a week. For students who study five days a week, that’s 42 minutes a day per class, or 3.5 hours a day for a typical student taking five classes.

Middle school teachers (grades 6-8) assigned roughly the same amount: 3.2 hours of homework a week, or 38.4 minutes a day per class. That adds up to 3.2 hours of homework a night for a student with five classes. K-5 teachers said they assigned an average of 2.9 hours of homework each week.

The data reflect what anecdotally shocks many parents: homework loads jump in middle school.

Teachers’ top three reasons for assigning homework were to see how well students understand lessons, help students develop essential problem-solving skills, and show parents what’s being learned in school. Just 30 percent of teachers chose covering more content as one of their top reasons for assigning homework.

The survey also finds that the longer a teacher has been in the classroom, the less homework they assign, said Tanya Burden, a spokeswoman for the University of Phoenix.

Here’s a breakdown of weekly homework assigned, by years of experience:

• 3.6 hours (teachers with less than 10 years in the classroom)

• 3.1 hours (teachers with 10 to 19 years in the classroom)

• 2.8 hours (teachers with more than 20 years in the classroom)

Homework has come under fire from parents and administrators who worry that hours of after-school assignments are stressing students out . Education Week recently reported on research indicating that students with heavy loads of homework were significantly more likely to be sleep-deprived, particularly if the homework load had jumped between ages 12 and 15. Others question whether required assignments are necessary for learning .

But doth Americans protest too much? The Atlantic recently ran a group of photos showing children doing homework after natural disasters and war had displaced them. It’s a good reminder that in many places, homework is considered a privilege, not a burden.

CORRECTION (Feb. 28): The original version of this blog post included incorrect figures on the time for homework assigned each day per class for both high school teachers and middle school teachers.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Time and Learning blog.

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39 Homework Statistics to Know

Fact checked August, 2024 | 👨‍🎓Cite this article.

Hey there, fellow knowledge seekers and homework enthusiasts! As we dive into the homework scene of 2023, it’s time to unleash some mind-boggling, eyebrow-raising, and, dare I say, jaw-dropping statistics.

Homework, that age-old companion of every student, has its quirks, surprises, and even a few eyebrow-raising moments that might make you go, “Wait, what?”

So, grab your favorite study snack, cozy up in your comfiest spot, and get ready to discover 39 Homework Statistics To Know in 2023 that is about to turn your life.

Homework Difficulty Statistics

This section will delve into the overarching theme of parental perceptions regarding homework difficulty.

It’s crucial to highlight that many parents believe their children’s homework is too easy. This sets the tone for the entire article, showcasing the prevalent sentiment among parents.

Math Homework: A Cakewalk for Many

This subsection focuses on the specific findings related to math homework. Nearly half of parents feel that math assignments are not challenging enough for their kids. By highlighting the 46% statistic, you’re emphasizing just how common this perception is.

Additionally, the 25% figure reveals that a quarter of parents do find math homework suitable in terms of difficulty, adding some balance to the discussion.

Lastly, the 29% neutral stance indicates that a significant portion of parents might not be entirely sure about the difficulty level, which could be explored further.

Fact checked 2024 | 👨‍🎓Cite this stat. This image is copyright free.

Language Arts: Another “Too Easy” Contender

Similarly, this subsection addresses parental perceptions of language arts homework. Here, you reiterate the overall trend of parents thinking that their children’s assignments in this subject are also too easy, with 44% holding this view.

Again, you introduce a counterpoint with the 28% figure, showing that some parents feel the homework strikes the right balance. The 28% of parents offering no strong opinion reflects a significant portion that may be uncertain or indifferent about the difficulty level, which could be discussed in more depth.

Homework Perception over Time

This section takes a broader look at the data by considering the surveys conducted in 2018, which serve as the foundation for these findings. It’s essential to provide context and historical perspective.

Discuss how these perceptions have remained consistent over time, indicating that parental views on homework difficulty have not shifted significantly between 2018 and 2023. This part of the article reinforces the idea that this is an ongoing concern among parents.

Global Homework Assignments Statistics

In this section, we’ll explore the global perspective on homework assignments for fourth-grade students, as unveiled by the Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS).

The Worldwide Scope: TIMSS Homework Survey

In this subsection, we introduce the source of the statistics, the TIMSS survey, and emphasize its international significance in assessing homework trends. Highlight that this survey provides a snapshot of homework practices on a global scale.

A Whopping 93%: Regular Homework Assignments

Here, we delve into the standout statistic: 93% of fourth-grade children worldwide regularly receive homework. Explain the significance of this high percentage and how it underscores the global prevalence of assigning homework as part of elementary education.

The Minority: Students without Homework

This subsection focuses on the 7% of fourth-grade students who reported never or rarely receiving homework assignments.

Discuss the implications of this minority and how their educational experiences might differ from the majority. Highlight the importance of understanding these differences in the context of global education.

Homework Digital Challenges Statistics

Now, let’s address a critical aspect of homework challenges in the digital age, particularly concerning internet access. A Pew Research poll, which surveyed 743 U.S. teenagers, unveils some eye-opening statistics about how internet access, or the lack thereof, impacts their ability to complete homework.

The Digital Homework Landscape: Insights from Pew Research

In this subsection, introduce the Pew Research poll as a reputable source of data, emphasizing its relevance in understanding the homework landscape for American teenagers.

Highlight that this survey sheds light on the digital disparities affecting homework completion.

17% Struggle Due to Internet Access

This part zooms in on the standout statistic: 17% of U.S. teens regularly face difficulties in completing their homework because they lack reliable access to the internet.

Discuss the significance of this percentage and how it reflects the digital divide that affects a considerable portion of American students.

Disparities across Demographics: A Closer Look

Here, you dive into the disparities among specific demographic groups. Mention that the digital divide isn’t uniform and affects some communities more than others.

Highlight the 25% figure, which represents Black American teens, and the 24% figure, which pertains to teens from families with an annual income below $30,000.

Discuss the implications of these disparities and how they compound the challenges already marginalized groups face.

Parent’s Participation in Homework Statistics

Now, let’s explore parents’ pivotal role in their children’s homework. A study conducted with 27,500 parents from around the world uncovers some intriguing statistics regarding the time and effort parents invest in their children’s homework.

A Global Snapshot: Examining Parental Involvement

This subsection introduces the study as a comprehensive look at parental involvement in homework and its worldwide significance. Emphasize that this study offers a global snapshot of how parents are engaging with their children’s academic work.

The Average: 6.7 Hours per Week

Here, focus on the central statistic: parents spend an average of 6.7 hours per week assisting their children with homework. Explain how this figure reflects parents’ substantial commitment to support their child’s education.

Going the Extra Mile: 25% Dedicate Over 7 Hours

Highlight the 25% of parents who go above and beyond, dedicating more than 7 hours per week to their child’s homework. Discuss the potential reasons for this higher level of involvement and the impact it may have on a child’s academic performance.

International Contrasts: A Closer Look

This subsection delves into the international disparities in parental involvement. Compare the 6.2 hours spent by American parents to the 12 hours committed by Indian parents and the 2.6 hours invested by Japanese parents.

Explore the cultural and educational factors that might contribute to these variations in parental engagement.

Homework Time Statistics

Now, let’s delve into the correlation between homework hours and academic performance, focusing on high-performing high schools.

A study conducted by Galloway, Conner & Pope provides valuable insights into this relationship, drawing from a sample of 4,317 students across ten high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California.

Investigating High-Performing Schools: The Study

In this subsection, introduce the study by Galloway, Conner & Pope as a significant research endeavor. Highlight the sample size and the specific context of the high-performing schools in California.

The Homework Load: 3.1 Hours per Night

Students in these high-performing schools reported spending an average of 3.1 hours per night on homework. Discuss the implications of this workload and how it might contribute to the academic success of these students.

A Path to Higher Education: 93% College Enrollment

Shift the focus to the long-term outcomes. Mention that 93% of graduates from these high-performing schools went on to enroll in college.

Explore the potential link between the rigorous homework expectations in these schools and the high college enrollment rate, emphasizing the importance of effective homework practices in preparing students for higher education.

Homework Stress among Teens Statistics

In this section, we’ll uncover the less-discussed aspect of homework—the stress it can generate among teenagers. Two studies shed light on the prevalence of homework-related stress, highlighting its significant impact on the well-being of students.

Homework Stress in Focus: Insights from the Better Sleep Council

Introduce the source of the statistics, the Better Sleep Council’s study, as a valuable contributor to understanding the stress levels associated with homework. Emphasize that this study reveals a concerning trend among students.

The Overwhelming Majority: 74% Stress Over Homework

74% of students consider homework a source of stress. Discuss how this percentage ranks second only to school grades, underlining the profound influence of homework on students’ emotional well-being.

Gender Disparities: Girls Bear the Brunt

Highlight the gender-based differences in stress levels, with 80% of girls citing homework as a source of stress. Discuss potential reasons for this gender disparity and its implications for girls’ mental health.

Homework as a Primary Stressor: Findings from Galloway, Conner & Pope (2013)

Incorporate findings from the 2013 study by Galloway, Conner & Pope, which also delves into the stress factor associated with homework.

The Burden on Teens: 56% Cite Homework as a Primary Stressor

Discuss the study’s conclusion that 56% of students consider homework a “primary stressor” in their lives. Elaborate on the implications of homework-related stress on overall student well-being and academic performance.

U.S. Homework Overload Statistic

In this section, we’ll delve into the staggering amount of time that U.S. teenagers dedicate to homework and its implications on their daily lives.

Homework Hours in the U.S.: Insights from the Better Sleep Council

Introduce the Better Sleep Council’s study as a source of critical data on the homework habits of American teenagers, emphasizing the study’s relevance in understanding the extent of homework hours.

The Average Load: Over 2 Hours per School Night

U.S. teenagers spend more than 2 hours per school night on homework, which accumulates to a whopping 15 hours or more per week. Discuss how this level of homework commitment impacts their daily routines and activities.

Beyond the Norm: The 4% Homework Marathon

Delve into the surprising revelation that 4% of U.S. teenagers report doing more than 6 hours of homework per night, nearly equaling the number of hours in a school day. Explore the potential reasons for this extreme workload and its consequences on their well-being.

The Electronics Dilemma: A Shift in Focus

Highlight the study’s finding that the only activity U.S. teens reported spending more time on than homework is electronics-related activities, including using phones, playing video games, and watching TV.

Discuss how this shift in focus towards screen time might impact their overall productivity and well-being.

Homework Guidelines Statistics

In this section, we’ll explore the widely endorsed but somewhat controversial “10-Minute Rule” for homework, as well as its implications and limitations.

The NEA’s Homework Guidelines: A General Rule of Thumb

Introduce the National Education Association’s (NEA) endorsement of the “10-Minute Rule” as a commonly cited guideline for homework. Explain how this rule suggests that students should spend 10 minutes per night per grade level on homework.

The Grade-to-Minutes Ratio: An Example

Provide a clear example to illustrate the rule: for each grade, students are expected to do an additional 10 minutes of homework. For instance, a 3rd grader should do 30 minutes of homework per night, while a 4th grader should dedicate 40 minutes.

Examining the Basis: Lack of Concrete Research

Acknowledge the controversy surrounding this rule by pointing out that it lacks a strong foundation in research. Discuss how educators and researchers have questioned the validity of this guideline and its applicability to all students.

Homework’s Diminishing Returns: The Two-Hour Limit

While the “10-Minute Rule” may not have solid research support, there’s consensus that homework benefits are likely to diminish after 2 hours (120 minutes) per night.

Discuss the practical implications of this limit, particularly for high school students who may be following NEA guidelines.

Parents’ Involvement Challenges in Homework Statistics

In this section, let’s shed light on parents’ challenges when it comes to involvement in their children’s homework, as revealed by an online poll of nearly 300 parents.

The Poll: Insights into Parental Involvement

Introduce the online poll as a valuable source of insights into parental attitudes and challenges related to their children’s homework. Emphasize its relevance in understanding the dynamics between parents and homework.

The Time Crunch: 21.9% Too Busy for Homework

21.9% of parents report being too busy to review their children’s homework. Discuss the implications of this time constraint and how it affects their ability to support their child’s education.

A Different Challenge: 31.6% Due to Children’s Independence

31.6% of parents do not review their children’s homework because their children prefer to handle it independently. Explore the complexities of this situation, where children’s self-sufficiency can be a double-edged sword, leading to parental frustration.

The Parent-Child Dynamic: Frustration and Support

Highlight the emotional dimension of this issue, emphasizing that for some parents, their children’s unwillingness to accept their help with homework is a source of frustration. Discuss the potential impact of this dynamic on parent-child relationships and the learning process.

Parental Challenges with Homework Difficulty Statistics

This section focuses on parents’ difficulties when assisting their children with homework, as revealed by the same online poll.

The Confusion Factor: Parents Find Homework Challenging

Introduce the poll’s findings regarding parental struggles with homework. Emphasize that a significant 46.5% of parents find homework too hard, highlighting the challenge they face in understanding and helping their children with assignments.

Age Ambiguity: Missing Data and the Need for Clarity

Discuss a limitation of the study: the absence of information about the age of the students. Explain that this missing data makes it challenging to fully grasp the extent of the issue, as homework difficulty can vary significantly depending on the grade level and subject matter.

A Complex Challenge: Parental Support and Learning Barriers

Highlight the complexity of the situation, where parents’ own difficulties with homework can hinder their ability to support their children’s learning.

And there you have it, folks – 39 Homework Statistics to Know in 2023 that have given us a peek into the ever-evolving world of academia and late-night study sessions.

From parents’ perceptions to students’ stress levels, from the ideal homework duration to the global homework landscape, we’ve covered it all, sprinkled with a dash of curiosity and a pinch of amazement.

Here’s to the quest for knowledge, the pursuit of excellence, and the occasional “Eureka!” moment amidst the sea of assignments. So, until next time, keep those pencils sharpened, those laptops charged, and those curious minds always engaged. Happy studying!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what is the optimal amount of time for students to spend on homework.

Research suggests that an ideal range is one to two hours per night for students. However, the quality of homework matters more than quantity, and spending over two hours may lead to diminishing returns.

2. Are parents often stressed about their children’s homework?

Yes, homework can be a significant source of stress for both students and parents. According to surveys, around 74% of teenagers find homework stressful, and this can also impact parents, especially if they struggle to assist their children with their assignments.

3. How do parents balance their busy schedules with helping their children with homework?

It’s a challenge. Around 21.9% of parents report being too busy to review their children’s homework. Additionally, 31.6% of parents don’t look at their children’s homework because their kids prefer to handle it independently, which can be a source of frustration.

4. What’s the recommended guideline for homework duration for students?

The National Education Association (NEA) suggests the “10-Minute Rule,” where students should spend 10 minutes per night per grade level on homework. For instance, a 3rd grader would have 30 minutes of homework. However, this rule lacks robust research support.

5. How much time do U.S. teenagers typically spend on homework?

U.S. teenagers, on average, dedicate over 15 hours per week to homework, with over 2 hours per school night. Some even report doing more than 6 hours of homework per night. This extensive workload can significantly impact their daily routines and activities.

College Homework: What You Need to Know

• April 1, 2020

Samantha "Sam" Sparks

• Future of Education

Despite what Hollywood shows us, most of college life actually involves studying, burying yourself in mountains of books, writing mountains of reports, and, of course, doing a whole lot of homework.

Wait, homework? That’s right, homework doesn’t end just because high school did: part of parcel of any college course will be homework. So if you thought college is harder than high school , then you’re right, because in between hours and hours of lectures and term papers and exams, you’re still going to have to take home a lot of schoolwork to do in the comfort of your dorm.

College life is demanding, it’s difficult, but at the end of the day, it’s fulfilling. You might have had this idealized version of what your college life is going to be like, but we’re here to tell you: it’s not all parties and cardigans.

How Many Hours Does College Homework Require?

Here’s the thing about college homework: it’s vastly different from the type of takehome school activities you might have had in high school.

See, high school students are given homework to augment what they’ve learned in the classroom. For high school students, a majority of their learning happens in school, with their teachers guiding them along the way.

In college, however, your professors will encourage you to learn on your own. Yes, you will be attending hours and hours of lectures and seminars, but most of your learning is going to take place in the library, with your professors taking a more backseat approach to your learning process. This independent learning structure teaches prospective students to hone their critical thinking skills, perfect their research abilities, and encourage them to come up with original thoughts and ideas.

Sure, your professors will still step in every now and then to help with anything you’re struggling with and to correct certain mistakes, but by and large, the learning process in college is entirely up to how you develop your skills.

This is the reason why college homework is voluminous: it’s designed to teach you how to basically learn on your own. While there is no set standard on how much time you should spend doing homework in college, a good rule-of-thumb practiced by model students is 3 hours a week per college credit . It doesn’t seem like a lot, until you factor in that the average college student takes on about 15 units per semester. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that a single, 3-unit college class would usually require 9 hours of homework per week.

But don’t worry, college homework is also different from high school homework in how it’s structured. High school homework usually involves a take-home activity of some kind, where students answer certain questions posed to them. College homework, on the other hand, is more on reading texts that you’ll discuss in your next lecture, studying for exams, and, of course, take-home activities.

Take these averages with a grain of salt, however, as the average number of hours required to do college homework will also depend on your professor, the type of class you’re attending, what you’re majoring in, and whether or not you have other activities (like laboratory work or field work) that would compensate for homework.

Do Students Do College Homework On the Weekends?

Again, based on the average number we provided above, and again, depending on numerous other factors, it’s safe to say that, yes, you would have to complete a lot of college homework on the weekends.

Using the average given above, let’s say that a student does 9 hours of homework per week per class. A typical semester would involve 5 different classes (each with 3 units), which means that a student would be doing an average of 45 hours of homework per week. That would equal to around 6 hours of homework a day, including weekends.

That might seem overwhelming, but again: college homework is different from high school homework in that it doesn’t always involve take-home activities. In fact, most of your college homework (but again, depending on your professor, your major, and other mitigating factors) will probably involve doing readings and writing essays. Some types of college homework might not even feel like homework, as some professors encourage inter-personal learning by requiring their students to form groups and discuss certain topics instead of doing take-home activities or writing papers. Again, lab work and field work (depending on your major) might also make up for homework.

Remember: this is all relative. Some people read fast and will find that 3 hours per unit per week is much too much time considering they can finish a reading in under an hour.The faster you learn how to read, the less amount of time you’ll need to devote to homework.

College homework is difficult, but it’s also manageable. This is why you see a lot of study groups in college, where your peers will establish a way for everyone to learn on a collective basis, as this would help lighten the mental load you might face during your college life. There are also different strategies you can develop to master your time management skills, all of which will help you become a more holistic person once you leave college.

So, yes, your weekends will probably be chock-full of schoolwork, but you’ll need to learn how to manage your time in such a way that you’ll be able to do your homework and socialize, but also have time to develop your other skills and/or talk to family and friends.

College Homework Isn’t All That Bad, Though

Sure, you’ll probably have time for parties and joining a fraternity/sorority, even attend those mythical college keggers (something that the person who invented college probably didn’t have in mind). But I hate to break it to you: those are going to be few and far in between. But here’s a consolation, however: you’re going to be studying something you’re actually interested in.

All of those hours spent in the library, writing down papers, doing college homework? It’s going to feel like a minute because you’re doing something you actually love doing. And if you fear that you’ll be missing out, don’t worry: all those people that you think are attending those parties aren’t actually there because they, too, will be busy studying!

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Guide to College Life

How college students spend their time.

The UCLA Higher Education Research Institute conducted a survey of students in their first year of college. The survey was taken by over 25,000 first-year college students. Questions were designed to analyze the academic and personal development progress of students through their first year in college.

Obviously there is a big change going from high school to college. This survey takes a look at the multiple aspects students face when going through this adjustment phase. Among them is time management.

In the transition from high school to college, first-year students have found themselves spending much more time studying and doing homework. However, these students are still able to find a balance between academics and extracurricular activities, as nearly 80% of those surveyed agreed so.

Students were asked how much time they spent per week on various activities. Here is what the majority of those surveyed reported.

Other related surveys

The Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted a Time Use Survey to look at how the average college student spends their weekday. They found the typical college student spends 3.3 hours engaged in educational activities, 3.1 hours working, 8.3 hours sleeping, and 3.7 hours doing leisure and sports activities.

• Topics ›
• Elementary schools in the U.S. ›

Where Parents Help Their Kids With Homework

How much time every week do you spend helping your children with their homework? If you live in India, you probably spend more time helping out than in other countries. According to an Ipsos survey conducted for The Varkey Foundation and published by The World Economic Forum , parents in India spend an average of 12 hours every week sitting with their children and helping them after school. By comparison, Brazilian and Russian parents both average 7.5 hours of homework helping every week while in China , it averages 8.2 hours. U.S. parents spend about 6.2 hours a week helping out while in Japan, it's only 2.6 hours.

Description

This chart shows the average number of hours per week spent helping by country in 2018.

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How much time do you spend on homework in grad school.

For those of you in grad school, how much time on average do you spend per homework problem? Also, do you find that you typically have enough background from your classes to complete them? I typically spend an hour a problem in this functional analysis class I am in and it seems like 90 percent of that time is trying to find some theorem from some other field in math that I never learned. Most recent example has been today where I spent a good 2 to 3 hours on a problem to find a few theorems I needed to prove some simple steps in a proof about Baire's Category Theorem.

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