It’s common for people to cite homework as one of their least favorite things about school as a whole. For many people, homework starts as young as elementary and middle school, with some starting even younger. If you had friends who went to different schools when you were younger, you probably know that schools can vary tremendously in how much homework they assign. However, did you know that the same can exist between states? With this analysis of which states have the most homework, you can learn where kids tend to be pushed more to their limits. This blog will tell you about Homework Across America: Which States Assign the Most?
Elementary and Middle School
This is typically where homework starts for most kids. It can be a good way to develop study habits and bring parents into the role of homework helpers at a young age.
The least amount of average elementary and middle school homework is 30 minutes daily, a number shared by Rhode Island, Kansas, and Nevada. What about the highest? These are the top five states when it comes to assigning elementary and middle school homework.
- California: 56 minutes
- Maine: 55.7 minutes
- Louisiana: 54 minutes
- New Mexico: 54 minutes
- Washington: 53.1 minutes
High School
High school tends to bring with it more advanced concepts and more independence for students. That can make it an incredibly difficult time for students, as it can lead to seemingly more required of students than is even possible in a day.
On the low end, some high schoolers end up with 60 minutes of homework daily, which is shared by Rhode Island, Kansas, and Utah. The highest end lends itself to not quite twice that. Here are the top five high school homework states.
- Vermont: 110 minutes
- Maine: 107.2 minutes
- West Virginia: 102 minutes
- Louisiana: 102 minutes
- Connecticut: 93 minutes
College
Most students end up with more homework and less classwork in college. Typically, classwork goes down on average, but homework generally goes up. This is where students can learn to really think and study for themselves.
The low end of college homework, however, doesn’t necessarily stay in line with that concept. The lowest state for college homework is Delaware at 85 minutes, nearly half an hour less than Vermont’s high school homework average. On the other hand, these are the five highest college homework states.
- Idaho: 141.3 minutes
- Oregon: 140 minutes
- Nebraska: 135 minutes
Wisconsin: 135 minutes
- Kentucky: 134.3 minutes
Is Homework the Best Way to Improve Grades?
Homework across America is a common theme among most schools and classes because many people believe it’s a good way to improve grades. Does that concept actually hold up to intellectual scrutiny?
Unfortunately, it really doesn’t. On a state-to-state level, the amount of homework on average doesn’t seem to correspond with an increase in GPA or SAT scores. That means homework probably isn’t the best way to raise your grades if you’re worried about that.
Parents or students who want to increase grades probably shouldn’t focus exclusively on drilling homework. Instead, consider a proven solution like tutoring or online resources. Some studies have shown that tutoring can help 24% of students raise their grades by at least one letter, and over 90% of OneClass users improved by at least one letter grade.
There are many ways to improve grades and test scores, but homework doesn’t seem to be one of them. If you’re in one of these high-homework scores, make sure you put your effort where it belongs: try out an online resource for better scores and grades.
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