how much homework do students get per day

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Three Penny Press

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 (10).

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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!!

luke • Oct 24, 2024 at 9:29 am

I am also using this for an English report. I am making an argumentative essay and this site has helped me complete the essay.

tamryn • Nov 10, 2024 at 5:48 pm

I am also using this for English report, its an argumentative essay, and this is great for mla citations

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.

• Our Process

WORLDMETRICS.ORG REPORT 2024

Time Spent On Homework Statistics: Insights into Student Workloads

Insights into homework habits reveal academic pressures and stress faced by students. Discover more inside!

Collector: Alexander Eser

Published: 7/23/2024

Statistic 1

• Homework time is often linked to academic achievement, with students who spend more time on homework generally earning higher grades.

Statistic 2

• 40% of students have reported experiencing physical health problems due to the amount of time spent on homework.

Statistic 3

• The homework gap refers to disparities in access to resources needed to complete homework, affecting up to 12 million students in the US.

Statistic 4

• Students in South Korea spend an average of 2.9 hours per day on homework, the highest in the world.

Statistic 5

• Students in Finland, known for its strong education system, have much shorter school days and less homework compared to other countries.

Statistic 6

• Although homework time varies by country, the global average time spent on homework is approximately 4.9 hours per week.

Statistic 7

• The US ranks 17th in the world for the amount of time students spend on homework.

Statistic 8

• Students spend more time on homework in countries with high levels of achievement pressure, such as South Korea and Japan.

Statistic 9

• International comparisons show that time spent on homework is not a direct indicator of academic success, with factors like teaching quality also playing a significant role.

Statistic 10

• 55% of parents are concerned about the amount of homework their children have.

Statistic 11

• 67% of parents report that they help their children with homework, spending an average of 1 hour per week assisting.

Statistic 12

• Students with parents who are highly involved in homework tend to spend more time on assignments.

Statistic 13

• A study found that 1 in 5 students feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have.

Statistic 14

• 78% of teachers believe that students are assigned too much homework.

Statistic 15

• The amount of time spent on homework is a common source of stress for students, with 72% reporting feeling stressed about it.

Statistic 16

• 35% of students in the US report having too much homework to juggle with their other commitments.

Statistic 17

• 82% of students admit to cheating on homework assignments at least once.

Statistic 18

• African American students tend to spend more time on homework than their white counterparts, often due to systemic inequalities in education.

Statistic 19

• 65% of students report that the amount of homework they receive is too much.

Statistic 20

• 20% of students report that homework is a major source of family conflict.

Statistic 21

• 32% of students say they don't have enough time for interests outside of school due to the amount of homework they receive.

Statistic 22

• 50% of students believe that homework is not relevant to their learning.

Statistic 23

• In a survey, 72% of students said they multitask while doing homework, which can reduce the effectiveness of study time.

Statistic 24

• 22% of students say that they often feel too tired to do homework after a long school day.

Statistic 25

• Over 30% of students report feeling anxious about not completing homework assignments on time.

Statistic 26

• On average, high school students spend about 6.8 hours per week on homework.

Statistic 27

• Students in grades 6-8 typically spend 1-2 hours on homework per night.

Statistic 28

• 27% of high school students report spending 3 or more hours on homework per night.

Statistic 29

• About 25% of students across all grade levels report spending 10 hours or more on homework per week.

Statistic 30

• The average time spent on homework per week increases as students progress through high school, with seniors spending the most time.

Statistic 31

• 45% of college students report spending 11 hours or more on homework per week.

Statistic 32

• On weekends, high school students spend an average of 3.7 hours on homework.

Statistic 33

• Students in affluent communities tend to have more homework, with high-achieving students spending an average of 17.5 hours per week.

Statistic 34

• The average time spent on homework in the US has been increasing steadily over the past decade.

Statistic 35

• High school students in Japan spend an average of 3 hours per weekday on homework.

Statistic 36

• Students in China have some of the longest school days in the world, spending an average of 3 hours per day on homework.

Statistic 37

• Students in Singapore have some of the highest academic achievement in the world, with an average of 9.4 hours per week spent on homework.

Statistic 38

• Meeting the recommended 10-minute per grade level of daily homework can result in students spending anywhere from 10-120 minutes per day on homework.

Statistic 39

• Homework load tends to peak in the middle school years, with students spending an average of 2-3 hours per day on homework.

Statistic 40

• The National Education Association and the National Parent-Teacher Association recommend a 10-minute per grade level homework guideline.

Our Reports have been cited by:

• • On average, high school students spend about 6.8 hours per week on homework.
• • Students in grades 6-8 typically spend 1-2 hours on homework per night.
• • 27% of high school students report spending 3 or more hours on homework per night.
• • About 25% of students across all grade levels report spending 10 hours or more on homework per week.
• • The average time spent on homework per week increases as students progress through high school, with seniors spending the most time.
• • 45% of college students report spending 11 hours or more on homework per week.
• • Students in South Korea spend an average of 2.9 hours per day on homework, the highest in the world.
• • On weekends, high school students spend an average of 3.7 hours on homework.
• • A study found that 1 in 5 students feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have.
• • Students in affluent communities tend to have more homework, with high-achieving students spending an average of 17.5 hours per week.
• • 78% of teachers believe that students are assigned too much homework.
• • The amount of time spent on homework is a common source of stress for students, with 72% reporting feeling stressed about it.
• • 35% of students in the US report having too much homework to juggle with their other commitments.
• • 55% of parents are concerned about the amount of homework their children have.
• • The average time spent on homework in the US has been increasing steadily over the past decade.

Time flies when youre avoiding homework like the plague, but for many students, hitting the books is just part of the weekly grind. According to recent statistics, high school students are putting in an average of 6.8 hours per week on homework, with seniors leading the charge. But dont be fooled by the seemingly manageable numbers – a whopping 27% of high schoolers admit to clocking in 3 or more hours per night, while 45% of college students are burning the midnight oil for 11 hours or more weekly. As students around the world juggle textbooks and stress, from South Koreas daily homework marathons to Finlands more relaxed approach, one thing remains clear: the homework struggle is real, folks.

Impact of homework on student well-being

Interpretation.

In the ever-evolving saga of student life, the correlation between time spent on homework and academic success continues to reign supreme, like an old-school king holding court in a digital age. However, lurking beneath this kingdom of textbooks and highlighters lies a dark underbelly of physical woes, with 40% of students falling victim to the treacherous grip of health problems brought on by the relentless pursuit of knowledge through homework. As if that wasn't enough drama for one scholarly epic, the homework gap emerges as a formidable foe, casting its shadow over 12 million students in the US who are left grappling with disparities in essential resources, painting a poignant picture of inequality in the whimsical world of academic adventures.

International comparisons of homework time

In the grand race of education, it seems each country has its own strategy when it comes to the homework hustle. South Korea is sprinting ahead with an impressive 2.9 hours per day of homework, while Finland takes a leisurely stroll with shorter school days and less homework, confidently striding on its strong education system reputation. Meanwhile, the global average of 4.9 hours per week keeps everyone in check, showing that sometimes slow and steady wins the race. The US, cruising in at 17th place, seems content with its homework pace. As the pressure mounts in countries like South Korea and Japan, it's clear that academic success is not just a marathon of homework hours but a complex relay of teaching quality and student support. So, whether you're zooming through assignments or taking a scenic route, remember that the true finish line is where knowledge meets understanding, not just where your homework stack ends.

Parental involvement in homework

In a world where parental involvement in homework is both praised and feared, these statistics reveal a tangled web of concern and assistance. With over half of parents worrying about the homework load, it seems that the battle between academics and family time is very much present in households. And yet, amidst the chaos, there is a bright spot of unity as two-thirds of parents roll up their sleeves and dive into the sea of equations and essays, clocking in an average of an hour per week. It's a delicate dance where parental support can either lighten the load or inadvertently add weight to the backpacks of the diligent scholars of tomorrow.

Student perceptions and feelings about homework

Amidst the homework chaos, these statistics paint a picture of a system teetering on the edge of overload. From overwhelmed students to burdened teachers, the common thread of stress weaves through the fabric of education. As the scales tip toward exhaustion and cheating becomes a tempting shortcut, it's clear that the homework battle is taking a toll. While some juggle homework with a deft hand, others find themselves drowning in assignments that seem to have little relevance. As students strive to balance academics with personal lives, the shadow of systemic inequalities looms large, highlighting the stark disparities in educational experiences. In this swirling maelstrom of deadlines and conflicts, perhaps it's time to reconsider the purpose and impact of homework, lest we lose sight of the true essence of learning amidst the chaos of completion.

Time spent on homework by grade level

In the ongoing academic battle of brains versus textbooks, the battlefield of homework is where the skirmish rages on. From the skirmish of middle school to the all-out assault of high school, students worldwide are clocking in impressive hours at the academic coalface. As the numbers stack up, it’s clear that the homework war knows no bounds, with students from all corners of the globe putting in the overtime. But as they juggle assignments and essays, one thing remains constant: the struggle is real, the workload is heavy, and the battle cry for education echoes across continents.

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