Is California Banning Homework? What to Know About New Law for Schools

A new law in California has been brought in which aims to reduce homework for students in California. The Healthy Homework Act, officially known as AB 2999, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September. Why It Matters Lawmakers approved the bill in a bid to alleviate stress on youngsters and promote learning, equity and well-being. Stock photo of a child using a pencil to do homework. A new law in California aims to reduce the amount of homework in a bid to alleviate stress on students. Stock photo of a child using a pencil to do homework. A new law in California aims to reduce the amount of homework in a bid to alleviate stress on students. iStock What To Know The legislation doesn’t ban homework, but it encourages school districts to establish homework policies for all grades. The goal is to “promote evidence-based homework practices to support pupil learning and well-being, and to ensure consistency and clarity in assigning of homework,” the bill states. The bill encourages schools to consider the quality and quantity of work assigned to students. It also asks them to consider the resources available to students to successfully complete homework, including parental support and access to technology. Supporters cited a survey of 15,000 California high school students, conducted by the non-profit organization Challenge Success, that found 45 percent of respondents cite homework as a big source of stress and more than half reported that they considered some of their assignments to be busywork with little value. The bill’s author also cited research that reported students’ homework load is associated with less sleep and other physical health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss and stomach problems. The legislation calls for the California Department of Education to post guidelines for school districts to use in developing their homework policies on its website by January 1, 2026. What People Are Saying Pilar Schiavo, the Democratic assemblywoman who authored the bill, told FOX40 that the legislation aims to address “a top stressor for kids.” She said: “I just toured a school in my district where they talked about how they are trying to reduce the kids who are missing school or dropping out of school. The top reason they hear is because kids are getting behind. “They just get into a hole when you miss homework. You have homework the next day, you are trying to catch up from the old homework—too much homework can overwhelm them.” Schiavo wrote the bill after seeing the impact homework had on her daughter Sofia Johnson. Sixth-grader Johnson told the station: “Homework is exhausting. It’s overwhelming. It’s depressing that my whole day from when I wake up to when I go to bed is taken up doing school work.” Denise Pope, the cofounder of Challenge Success and a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, said in testimony in support of the legislation earlier this year: “We believe it is important to bring student voices into conversations about policies that affect their well-being. “For example, 45 percent of students reported overall workload and homework as a major source of stress. This was selected over several other stressors, including future plans, college, and relationships.” What’s Next School districts are encouraged to develop a homework policy for all grades by the start of the 2027-28 school year and formally adopt a final policy by the start of the following year.