Homework is a crucial component of a student’s academic journey, providing an opportunity for students to reinforce their understanding of course material.
It also helps develop important skills such as time management and self-motivation, and prepare for future assessments.
As educators and policymakers continue to grapple with the optimal balance between homework and other aspects of student life, it is essential to understand the current state of homework practices and their impact on student outcomes.
US Homework Statistics 2024
This report presents a comprehensive overview of homework statistics, drawing on data from various sources to provide insights into the frequency, quality, and perceived relevance of homework across different age groups and educational systems.
High School Math Homework and Performance
- 48% of high school math students complete math homework regularly.
- 55% of high school math students have a B average or better in math class.
- 40% of high school math students do not complete math homework regularly and have less than a B average in math class.
Impact of Online Homework in Chemistry
- The correlation between online homework averages and grade components for off-semester second-term general chemistry courses taught by Instructor A ranges from 0.39 to 0.74.
- Success rates in second-term general chemistry courses improved by 3.7%, 9.9%, and 7.9%, respectively, after the implementation of online homework.
- 63.0% of students completed online homework because of the grade reward.
- 49.8% of students did no other homework that was not worth a portion of the grade.
- 60.2% of students indicated that they looked over the online homework assignments to learn from mistakes and work out answers instead of guessing.
Homework Practices in 8th Grade Mathematics
- Homework frequency in 8th grade mathematics varied across OECD systems, with an average of 55% of students getting math homework at least twice a week.
Student Perceptions of Homework
- The percentage of students who reported that homework helped them learn varied across OECD systems, with an average of 64% of students agreeing that homework helped them learn.
- 34% of students agreeing that homework was too difficult.
- An average of 14% of students agreeing that homework was too easy.
- An average of 22% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their future careers.
- 18% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their current studies.
- 15% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their personal interests.
- 12% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their social and emotional development.
- The percentage of students who reported that homework was not relevant to their physical and mental health varied across OECD systems, with an average of 10% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their physical and mental health.
- 8% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their family and social relationships.
- 6% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their leisure activities.
- 5% of students agreeing that homework was not relevant to their overall well-being.
Sources:
- https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/essentialskills/MathPSTasks/statistics_homeworkandgrades_sample_m6.pdf
- https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/5jxrhqhtx2xt-en.pdf?expires=1715686150&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=1897553CDF1A7E7ADD7C6D9A016E48FC
- https://assess.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/2019-02/cooperrobinsonpatall_2006.pdf