Should Students Have Homework on the Weekends?

For many families, weekend homework is a point of tension. Parents want balance. Students want a break. Schools want academic consistency. So which is it — helpful habit or unnecessary pressure? The real issue isn’t whether students should ever have weekend homework. It’s whether their overall workload is structured in a way that makes weekend work productive — rather than overwhelming.

The Real Issue is Workload Design, Not the Weekend Itself

When students feel overwhelmed by weekend assignments, the problem is rarely the calendar. It’s the structure of the school week. Schools that rely heavily on homework often push unfinished learning into evenings and weekends. But when instruction is efficient, expectations are clear, and time is used intentionally during the school day, the need for weekend homework is reduced. At The Tenney School, for example, shorter class periods and focused instruction allow students to complete most of their work during the week — with limited, purposeful reinforcement outside of class. The goal is not to eliminate effort, but to structure it well.

Time for Relaxation Among Other Things

Students are pressured at a higher level now than in the past. The Washington Post stated in their research:

Having too much homework is certainly part of the problem when it comes to student stress levels. In fact, of the more than 50,000 high school students that Challenge Success surveyed form October 2018 to January 2020, 56 percent of students said that they had too much homework. In that sample, students reporting doing an average of 2.7 hours of homework per weeknight and 3.0 hours on weekends.

If we take this info into account and assume an average day of school is 6 hours long, a student will be spending more than 8.7 hours on school work. This doesn’t even account for extracurricular activities which the majority of students participate in! A high school student simply does not have enough time to disconnect and take a break during the week.

This is why the weekend is so important. Students need to be able to remove themselves from school and school work completely in order to rest. Without doing so, students become burnt out which can lead to a decline academically that eventually snowballs. This can bring about feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety which can only hurt academic progress more. On top of this, many students work as well! Having the weekends available for students to be able to work and relax is a great opportunity to help build up the academic resume!

Another point to note is that it frees up more time for students with religious obligations. Many students feel pressured on the weekend with having to balance time between school and religion which increases levels of stress and depression. Eliminating homework on the weekends frees this time up and allows more students to connect with their religion free from worry about homework and school.

Improvement to College Acceptance Rates

With more available free time, students are encouraged to pursue more extracurriculars, volunteer opportunities, and jobs on the weekends! Many high schoolers will opt out of a job search simply because they feel that they don’t have enough time. With eliminating homework on the weekends, that frees up an extra 3.0 hours on average for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Colleges will look at what you do outside of school while reviewing your application. That’s why it is so important to have a diverse academic resume that shows a student is able to balance school work and a professional life!

That being said, it’s still important to set aside time to study during the weekends if you have a test coming up. Certain events like this are unavoidable, but with lesson planning taking into account that the weekends shouldn’t have homework, students should have an easier time motivating themselves to study!

Breakdown of the Pros and Cons

So lets look at why students should not have homework on the weekends:

Pros:

• More relaxation
• More time for a job
• Time for religious obligations
• Increased motivation for studying
• Increased chances of a competitive academic resume

Cons:

• Students may forget things over the weekend
• Students may get lazy

Overall there’s a number of factors that contribute to an improved student life when eliminating homework on the weekends. Allowing time for relaxation, volunteering, work, and more improves a students life outside of school. While school should always be a student’s priority it’s still important to remember that they need to have fun as well!

Need Academic Support That Reinforces Learning?

Tenney Tutors provides one-on-one academic coaching designed to strengthen mastery — not overwhelm students. Learn about Tenney Tutors today!

Exploring Schools That Take a Structured Approach?

The Tenney School operates on shorter class periods with purposeful homework and clear academic expectations. Learn How The Tenney School is Structured.