* School district and individual school policies: Some schools assign significantly more homework than others.
* Grade level within middle school: Homework load often increases from 6th to 8th grade.
* Individual student's coursework: Students in advanced classes or struggling in certain subjects will spend different amounts of time.
* Subject matter: Some subjects (like math or science) might require more time than others (like language arts).
* Student's learning style and efficiency: Some students work faster and more efficiently than others.
* Extracurricular activities and other commitments: Students with many after-school activities will have less time for homework.
While there are recommendations (sometimes from professional organizations like the National Education Association), these are often guidelines, not strict rules. You'll find a wide range of reported homework times, with some students spending an hour or less per night, while others might spend two hours or more. A reasonable expectation might be somewhere in the 1-2 hour range per night, but this is a very general estimate. It's much more useful to consider the factors above when evaluating a specific student's homework time.