

Researchers agree that homework should serve a specific developmental or educational purpose. High school students need real work, not busy work Still, students shouldn’t be assigned more than two hours of homework a night on average. Those who pursue higher-level work, such as AP, honors or college-level courses, will do more homework each night than those who have a less-rigorous course load. As students get further along in high school, they can select the rigor of their curriculum. There is, however, a larger spread in the amount of homework students do each night, even among those at the same grade level. Research shows that completing more than this amount of homework results in no further gains. While students occasionally need to do more than two hours of work a night, this should be the exception rather than the rule. This rule allows up to 120 minutes of homework in the evening for upper-level students. In high school, the 10-minute per grade level rule still applies (students should receive 10 minutes of homework per night based on the grade level they are in). High school students are better able to manage their time, stay focused and complete complex tasks, which enables them to tap the value of homework. Homework helps high school students - but how much do they need?

Advocates for less-intense homework policies maintain that students should be able to balance school, activities and family life. During the high school years, many students participate in extracurricular activities or take on part-time jobs - responsibilities that leave little time for families to connect, which remains important for this age group.
