Chapter 3: Student Behaviors and Afterschool Activities

Indicator 14: Homework

Most high school students (91 percent of males and 95 percent of females) did some homework outside of school in 2007. The percentage of high school students whose parents checked for homework completion was higher for males (68 percent) than for females (61 percent).

In 2007, according to parent reports, 93 percent of high school students (in grades 9 through 12) did some homework outside of school. Among these students, the frequency of doing homework outside of school varied: 5 percent did homework infrequently (less than one day per week), 15 percent did homework 1 to 2 days per week, 38 percent did homework 3 to 4 days per week, and 42 percent did homework very frequently (5 or more days per week). In addition, the parents of 65 percent of high school students checked to ensure that their homework was completed.

Each week, high school students who did homework outside of school in 2007 did an average of 7 hours of homework outside of school. On average, Asian students spent more time doing homework each week (10 hours) than did their White, Black, and Hispanic peers and their peers of two or more races (between 6 and 7 hours); this racial/ethnic pattern also held among female students. Overall, female students did more hours of homework each week, on average, than male students (8 vs. 6 hours). The same pattern between males and females was observed within the White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian racial/ethnic groups. For example, Black females did 7 hours of homework outside of school each week, on average, compared with an average of 5 hours for Black males. Among male students, the average number of hours of homework done each week was greater for Asians (8 hours) than it was for Blacks (5 hours) and Hispanics (6 hours); the percentages for White students and students of two or more races were 6 and 7 percent, respectively.

The percentage of students whose parents checked for homework completion was higher among Blacks (83 percent) and Hispanics (76 percent) than Whites (57 percent) and Asians (59 percent). In addition, checking for homework completion was more prevalent among the parents of Black students than the parents of students of two or more races (64 percent). Overall, a higher percentage of parents of male students checked for homework completion (68 percent) than did the parents of female students (61 percent); this finding also held for White males and females. Among males, checking for homework completion was more prevalent among the parents of Blacks (86 percent) than among the parents of Whites (61 percent), Hispanics (74 percent), and Asians (58 percent) and the parents of males of two or more races (66 percent).

Technical Notes

The analysis excludes homeschooled students. The term parent refers to one or more parents or other household adults. Data are based on the responses of the parent most knowledgeable about the student's education.

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Figure 14-1 Average hours per week spent on homework for high school students (grades 9 through 12) who did homework outside of school, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2007

Figure 14-2 Among high school students (grades 9 through 12) who did homework outside of school, percentage whose parents checked that homework was completed, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2007

Table E-14-1 Percentage of high school students (grades 9 through 12) who did homework outside of school, average hours per week spent on homework, frequency of doing homework, and percentage of students whose parents checked that homework was done, by sex and race/ethnicity: 2007