U.S. Teens (Especially Neurodivergent Teens) Are Burning Out From School

A worn backpack sits on the pavement, capturing a moment of pause for a neurodivergent teen feeling overwhelmed.

Have you noticed how many high school students are basically working two full-time jobs by the time they graduate? While some areas of the U.S. are better than others, for those overworking our kids and teens, the numbers are terrifying.

Between early mornings, full schedules, piles of homework, extracurriculars, tutoring, as well as family, societal, academic and social pressures — the load is huge. For neurodivergent teens, it’s often worse: masking, managing sensory overwhelm, navigating executive function challenges, and pushing through exhaustion all week — only to crash on evenings or weekends. Teens are having to learn how to manage burnout before they've even had to "punch a timecard" in their first paid job.

What the Data Tells Us

Teens today spend more time on academics than previous generations. Surveys show that U.S. teens in high school average about 1 hour of homework daily, but many report workloads closer to 3 or more hours depending on school type and expectations (Pew Research Center, 2019; Xu, 2023).

Extracurriculars and enrichment activities are also on the rise, often encouraged to strengthen college applications. But when overscheduled, these activities are linked to higher levels of stress, anxiety, and decreased mental health (National Education Association, 2019).

Add to this the reality of early school start times combined with late-night studying, and many students are chronically sleep deprived — a factor strongly tied to impaired mood, learning, and concentration (American Psychological Association, n.d.).

Studies of adolescent burnout show that prolonged high academic demands, especially without recovery breaks, increase fatigue, disengagement, and psychological distress (Salmela-Aro & Upadyaya, 2023).

Why Neurodivergent Teens Are Particularly Vulnerable

Neurodivergent teens expend an extensive amount of mental, emotional and physical energy in additional areas:

• Masking and trying to “fit in” consume enormous amounts of energy.

• Executive function challenges (planning, organizing, switching tasks) make tasks more time- and energy-intensive (hidden time may be seen in extra hours to keep up).

• Sensory overload from noisy, crowded classrooms adds to daily fatigue.

The result is often a cycle of “pushing through the week, then crashing” that is especially pronounced for autistic and ADHD teens, who may need more intentional recovery time to restore bandwidth.

The Crash Pattern

Many neurodivergent teens describe this cycle:

1. Push through the week — early wakeups, heavy demands, and constant effort to hold it together.

2. Barely keep up with homework and activities, often sacrificing rest.

3. Weekend crash — exhaustion, irritability, withdrawal, or shutdown.

4. Attempt to recover — then start the cycle again Monday.

What Helps

Here are some small but effective supports that can protect teens from spiraling into burnout:

• Scheduled micro-breaks during the school day (movement, sensory breaks/resets are key).

• Sleep protection — consistent bedtimes matching own rhythms; reduce late-night workload.

• Reducing nervous system overload — scaling back activities when possible; learning to say "no"

• Executive function supports — planners, timers, and breaking tasks into manageable steps.

• Sensory Tools for Sensory Breaks — earplugs, headphones, fidgets, or quiet spaces.

• Coaching/Therapy — support nervous system regulation skills and identify own unique rhythms.

Why This Matters

If left unaddressed, adolescent burnout doesn’t just fade — it can shape adulthood. The toll shows up as anxiety, depression, disengagement, and low self-esteem. For neurodivergent teens especially, these years are when belief systems, habits, and self-stories are being formed. Without supportive structures, many carry forward distorted lessons such as:

• Enduring is stronger than resting

• Worth depends on achievement, with an ever-moving finish line

• Fast and hard equals strength, while slower and ease equal weakness

This is the recipe for adult burnout. Building supportive systems early isn’t just about surviving school — it’s about protecting long-term wellbeing and creating a foundation for a healthier, more sustainable future.

School shouldn’t feel like more than a full-time job. Teens deserve space to learn, rest, and live in sync with their own rhythms.

Free download here: Sensory Break Menu for Teens

Go Gently,

Suzanne

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). School start times and sleep. APA. https://www.apa.org/topics/children/school-start-times

National Education Association. (2019, March 4). Study: Too many enrichment activities harm mental health. NEA. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/study-too-many-enrichment-activities-harm-mental-health

Pew Research Center. (2019, November 21). Time spent on homework has increased for U.S. teens. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/11/21/time-spent-on-homework-has-increased-for-u-s-teens

Salmela-Aro, K., & Upadyaya, K. (2023). School burnout and engagement profiles among adolescents: A person-oriented approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1142652. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1142652

Xu, J. (2023). Homework and adolescent wellbeing: Evidence from international large-scale assessments. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 10298359. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10298359/