Academic stress is a large issue facing schools today. In fact, in a survey of 1,000 students ages 13-17 done in 2007, 51% said they had moderate stress levels. We conducted our own PCS study on stress levels relative to workload and sleep schedules. According to our data, most PCS students are frequently stressed and usually get 6-8 hours of sleep. The percent of PCS students that are extremely stressed out (46%) tells us how much of a problem stress really is.

The grade level of specific students surveyed was somewhat mixed with the majority of responders (52%) being sophomores. There were also a decent amount of freshman and 8th graders polled, who altogether made a total of 37% of the survey population.  Although this survey seems to be diverse, there wasn’t a single junior or senior surveyed. Considering that 46% of the PCS population already records a high amount of stress, the fact that juniors and seniors weren’t factored into the poll only increases the significance of this problem.  

A very specific source of student stress is homework. According to our survey, about 54% of students have 1-3 hours of homework each night and 31% have 3-5 hours each night. This accords with the national average–a study done in 2014 reports that the average high school student in the United States has on average 3.5 hours of homework each night. But 3.5 hours a night is still a very large amount. Considering that teenagers should be getting 8-10 hours of sleep each night, the low sleep levels and high amounts of stress that many students face is deeply troubling.

       So what can students do to manage high amounts of stress? Some practical solutions involve better time management, higher amounts of exercise, and better communication skills. Time management is important for controlling stress and for managing workload. If a student plans out his or her schedule they will know what work they have to do and plan their day accordingly. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and this applies to students as well. Communication between students and teachers or peers is also very important for students to know the magnitude of academic work needed to be completed Or, teachers could just assign less homework. No matter the cause of stress, it is up to students to find a practical method of dealing with stress.http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/stress-teens-psychological/5266739/https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=high+school+homework+statistics