How to Support Your Teen’s School-Life Balance

October 8, 2024 by Valerie Kirk

5 min to read

Young female student working on modeling a clay object while taking an art class at a local arts center.

Just like adult, today’s teens have a lot on their plates, balancing school, extracurricular activities, and family obligations—some even balance part-time jobs or volunteer work. For many teens, those experiences are paving the way to their future, pursuing their passions to kick-start their careers.

But as the number of adolescents reporting mental health issues rises, questions about overscheduled and stressed-out teens are putting a microscope on things that could lead students to have a poor school-life balance.

Connections Academy School-Life Balance Survey

To better understand what parents and students think about their own experiences with balancing school and other obligations, Connections Academy conducted a survey of over 1,000 parents and guardians and 1,000 students in grades 8-12 across the U.S. The survey also looked at the impact a healthy school-life balance can have on student achievement and future success.

Student and Parent Perspectives Differ

While the research found that less than half of students surveyed feel they have an excellent or good school-life balance, 80% of parents think their child manages their school-life balance well.

That disconnect continues when comparing student and parent perspectives on different types of activities:

80% of parents report that their student successfully balances school and personally fulfilling activities while only 54% of students report doing so
80% of parents think their student handles goals, responsibilities, and self-care well while only 58% of students report doing so
77% of parents said that their student manages time and well-being independently, while only 54% of students report doing so

Students who struggle balancing their school and life responsibilities combined with parents who may not realize that their students are having issues can negatively impact a student’s mental health and school performance. Over half of students in the survey reported that they feel anxiety and stress due to their lack of school-life balance. Challenges in balancing their obligations also leave them less prepared to handle pressure, and they are less likely to succeed in school and later in life.

Alternatively, students who responded that they have a good school-life balance were more likely to prioritize their mental well-being and also had higher overall GPAs than those who did not report a healthy school-life balance.

The Role of Parents in Education and a Healthy School-Life Balance

Parents often play a critical role in helping their students have a healthy school-life balance, but first they need to recognize when there is a problem. Parents and caregivers should take the time to talk to their teens about how they are feeling in order to learn if they are anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed. Working together, parents and teens can develop a plan to improve their school-life balance.

Some tactics for improving a student’s school-life balance, as noted by survey respondents, include taking breaks, drinking water, getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating heathy foods. Students reported that engaging with peers, fellow students, and friends was their most helpful tactic for balancing school and life obligations. 65% of parents said they encourage their student to practice time management or organizational skills, and 57% promote taking breaks from schoolwork when needed.

How a Healthy School-Life Balance Leads to Future Success

The study also found that students with a healthy school-life balance often have a clearer understanding of their future aspirations, with 76% knowing what career they want to pursue. But, more than a fourth (29%) of students with fair to very poor school-life balance feel it has a negative impact on their ability to start career planning.

This is often due to whether or not students feel like they have opportunities to immerse themselves in their hobbies and explore career paths through hands-on experiences while still maintaining their academic responsibilities. Knowing what a career is like before entering it leads to future job satisfaction.

How Online School Can Help Support a Healthy School-Life Balance

Connections Academy is uniquely designed to help students achieve a healthy school-life balance.

Flexibility. Working with their Learning Coach, students can build a school schedule around their interests and hobbies, helping them balance their free-time more effectively while still attending classes full-time. They can also take breaks from their schoolwork as needed, reducing stress and anxiety that can come with being overwhelmed.
Learn from almost anywhere. Students in online school can also learn from anywhere with a good internet connection. This helps them fit studying into their daily activities, wherever those activities may be happening.
Discover passions. Connections Academy’s college and career readiness initiatives and dual enrollment opportunities are also helping teens explore potential careers while balancing their schoolwork.

How to Balance School and Work in Online School

Both parents and students feel that real-world, work-based experiences are the most helpful when considering a potential career path.

“At Connections Academy, we are big proponents of encouraging students to think outside of the curriculum,” said Dr. Lorna Bryant, Senior Director of Career Solutions in Pearson’s Virtual Learning division. “While academics are still very important, bringing in more career and college exposure opportunities to students during middle and high school can absolutely contribute to a more well-rounded school-life balance and help jumpstart that career search process.”

Finding the balance to explore a career through work experiences while balancing school comes from learning good time management skills and taking advantage of the flexible scheduling opportunities offered by online school. Mastering these skills will carry over into their adult lives, giving them the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance when they start their career.

The college and career readiness offerings enable students to receive high school credit, industry-recognized micro-credentials, and eligibility for college credit toward over 150 U.S. bachelor's degree programs though a tri-credit approach. Future Business Leaders of America, The Home Depot, HOSA, and the SEMI Foundation further expose students to careers across industries.

Connections Academy also partners with Credly, Coursera, Acadeum, and other industry-aligned curriculum vendors to offers students a clear path to college and career success while balancing their high school coursework.

How to Balance School and Sports in Online School

Students that play sports can find it hard to find a healthy school-life balance that lets them compete at the highest levels. With online school, they can build time to study their lessons around their practice schedules, helping them manage their time. Since online school students can learn from anywhere, they can travel to competitions or practices without missing school.

Image of two male swimmers practicing in a pool doing freestyle.

Achieve a Healthy School-Life Balance at Connections Academy

There are so many opportunities for teenagers to pursue their dreams while still in high school.

"Just as working professionals value work-life balance for personal fulfillment, it's encouraging to see that students are also realizing the importance of balancing school activities with their personal lives from an early age," added Bryant. "Generation Z’s eagerness to integrate practical career experiences with their academics, while also focusing on their well-being, will ease their transition into their first roles and bodes well for the future workforce."

Learn more about the School-Life Balance report and Connections Academy’s college and career readiness initiatives to support a healthy school-life balance and a student’s career aspirations.