The short answer
The 10-minute rule: about 10 minutes of homework per night for each grade level — 10 × grade. That is 30 minutes in 3rd grade, 60 in 6th, 90 in 9th and 120 (two hours) in 12th. The NEA notes that many districts follow it. But in our review of district documents, none of the 11 we checked for it mentioned the rule, and the few written limits we found reach about 2 hours a night in high school — close to the rule’s top end.Most homework arguments start with “that’s too much” and end without a number. The 10-minute rule gives you one, and the calculator compares it with what really happens at your kitchen table.
The 10-minute rule in one line
Nightly homework ≈ 10 minutes × grade level. It is a simple, widely repeated guideline. The National Education Association puts it plainly: many districts follow the guideline of 10 minutes per grade level, and it can be adjusted for students or subjects that need more or less time.
Here is what the arithmetic gives for every grade, next to three districts whose written policies we read:
| Grade | 10-minute rule | Per week (5 nights) | Los Angeles USD (2012) | Miami-Dade (2009) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 0 min | 0 | max 10 min | 30 min avg (K–1) |
| 1 | 10 min | 50 min | max 20 min | 30 min avg (K–1) |
| 2 | 20 min | 1 h 40 min | max 20 min | 45 min avg (2–3) |
| 3 | 30 min | 2 h 30 min | max 30 min | 45 min avg (2–3) |
| 4 | 40 min | 3 h 20 min | max 40 min | 60 min avg (4–5) |
| 5 | 50 min | 4 h 10 min | max 50 min | 60 min avg (4–5) |
| 6 | 60 min | 5 h | avg 15 min per class | 75 min (6–8) |
| 7–8 | 70–80 min | 5 h 50 min – 6 h 40 min | avg 20 min per class | 75 min (6–8) |
| 9–10 | 90–100 min | 7 h 30 min – 8 h 20 min | avg 25 min per class | 120 min (9–12) |
| 11–12 | 110–120 min | 9 h 10 min – 10 h | avg 30 min per class | 120 min (9–12) |
Miami-Dade’s figures are daily averages across all subjects plus 30 minutes of reading; Los Angeles elementary limits exclude daily reading. Fairfax County sets a maximum of 1.5 hours a day in middle school and 2 hours in high school.
How to use the calculator
- Pick the grade. The guideline appears immediately.
- Enter the real minutes for a typical night — time actually working, not time at the desk with a phone.
- Set the number of homework nights to see the weekly totals.
Worked example: a 6th grader who spends 75 minutes a night. The rule says 60, so that is 15 minutes more, or 125% of the guideline. Over five nights it is 6 h 15 min against 5 hours. The calculator labels this “above” (our band for 115–150% of the guideline) and shows that it matches Miami-Dade’s 75-minute figure for grades 6–8.
For a fair number, time a full week rather than one bad night, and record each subject separately — the homework planner helps with both.
What district policies actually say
We looked for the official homework rules of 32 of the largest US school districts for our district homework policy research. Three findings matter here:
- No document we checked mentions the 10-minute rule. It was marked “not referenced” in all 11 rows where a document was read and assessed for it.
- Explicit time limits are rare. Only 3 of the 15 districts whose documents we read — Los Angeles USD, Miami-Dade and Fairfax County — give homework time limits. The rest leave it to schools or teachers.
- Where high-school limits exist, they reach about 2 hours a night: Miami-Dade’s 120-minute daily average for grades 9–12, Fairfax’s 2-hour daily maximum, and 25–30 minutes per class in Los Angeles. That lines up with the rule’s 110–120 minutes for 11th and 12th grade.
Caveats. We opened homework documents for 15 of the 32 districts; for the other 17, access failures and search limits meant no document was read, which is not proof that no policy exists. The Los Angeles (2012) and Miami-Dade (2009) policies were read from archived copies and may not be in force today. Minutes are reported in each document’s own format (per day, per class, maximum or average) and are not directly comparable.
How much homework per credit hour comes after 12th grade?
The 10-minute rule stops at 12th grade, but college has its own yardstick. The federal definition of a credit hour in 34 CFR 600.2 says a semester credit should reasonably approximate at least one hour of class and at least two hours of out-of-class work each week for about 15 weeks. That gives a simple formula: weekly homework and study ≈ 2 × credits.
Minimum out-of-class work per week under the federal credit-hour definition (semester credits)
| Credits | Class hours a week | Out-of-class hours a week | Spread over 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 (one course) | 3 | 6 | about 51 min a day |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | about 1 h 43 min a day |
| 12 | 12 | 24 | about 3 h 26 min a day |
| 15 | 15 | 30 | about 4 h 17 min a day |
Worked example: a 12th grader at the top of the 10-minute rule does 120 minutes on five nights, or 10 hours a week. A first-year student taking 15 credits faces about 30 hours of out-of-class work, three times as much, plus 15 hours in class.
Two caveats. The definition is a rule for how colleges count credit (each institution sets its own, with accreditor approval), not a promise about any one course; real time varies with the subject and the student. And it describes a minimum expectation, so a demanding lab or writing course can take more. For how much high schoolers actually do now, see the national homework averages, and block out those study hours in a weekly assignment tracker.
When homework takes longer than it should
A number above the guideline is a signal to look closer, not a verdict. Common causes:
- One subject eats the evening. If a single class regularly takes most of the time, tell that teacher how long it took; it is information they can’t see from the finished work.
- Missing skills. Long homework in math or reading can point to a gap from earlier units. Ask the teacher which earlier skill to review instead of just adding time.
- Distraction. Ten minutes of work spread over thirty with notifications on is a different problem from too much homework.
- Course load. Several advanced classes in the same year can push high-school totals well past the guideline.
Related tools
- Plan the week and see overloaded nights in the homework planner.
- Not sure which grade applies? Use What grade am I in?.
- Check the school bag with the backpack weight calculator.
- Counting the weeks left? Try days until summer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 10-minute homework rule?
How much homework should a 6th grader have?
Is 3 hours of homework a night too much for high school?
Does the 10-minute rule include reading?
Should kindergarteners have homework?
How much homework should a first grader have?
How much homework should a fifth grader have?
How much homework do high schoolers get?
How much homework per credit hour is expected in college?
Sources & method
- 10-minute rule: National Education Association, How much homework is too much? (November 10, 2019): “Many districts follow the guideline of 10 minutes per grade level.”
- District limits and the count of documents mentioning the rule: The Homework Site’s district homework policy dataset (32 districts, compiled October 2026). Los Angeles USD BUL-3491.1 (2012) and Miami-Dade Rule 6Gx13-6A-1.23 (amended 2009) were read from 2024 Wayback Machine copies; it is not confirmed they are still in force. Fairfax County: Middle and High School Grading and Reporting Handbook (undated web page).
- College credit hour: 34 CFR 600.2, definition of credit hour, via Cornell Legal Information Institute (checked October 15, 2026).
- National averages for high schoolers: Pew Research Center (2019) and NAEP via Brookings, as summarized on our homework statistics page.
- Assessment bands in the calculator (light / on target / above / heavy) are our own rule of thumb, not an official standard.
Formulas checked October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us via the about page.