Homeworks averages 2.9 hours (K-5) to 3.5 hours (HS) (per week, not per day!)

Homework is a source of anxiety in homes across America – students may not want to spend time on it and parents often struggle to help their children with assignments. A recent national survey from University of Phoenix College of Education reveals how much homework K-12 students are assigned and why teachers deem it beneficial.

According to the survey, kindergarten through fifth grade teachers report assigning an average of 2.9 hours of homework per week, while sixth to eighth grade teachers report assigning an average of 3.2 hours and ninth to twelfth grade teachers 3.5 hours. The hours of homework are reported for individual teachers, so for high school students who typically have class with five teachers in different subject areas each day, this could potentially amount to an average of 17.5 hours or more of homework per week.

Nearly all K-12 teachers (98 percent) identify benefits of homework, with the top benefit being that it helps teachers see how well their students understand the lessons (60 percent). Teachers also say homework helps students develop essential problem-solving skills (46 percent), gives parents a chance to see what is being learned in school (45 percent), helps students develop time management skills (39 percent), encourages students to relate classroom learning to outside activities (37 percent) and allows teachers to cover more content in class (30 percent).

The online survey of more than 1,000 full-time K-12 teachers in the U.S. was conducted on behalf of University of Phoenix College of Education by Harris Poll in the fourth quarter of 2013.