Updated: This story has been updated with new data on recess in elementary schools over time.
How much time do students spend at recess? The answer matters to anyone with a stake in children’s well-being.
A strong body of evidence from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other reputable sources shows multiple benefits that recess can bring to all students, from elementary through high school: improved academic outcomes, social and emotional learning, and boosts in overall well-being.
But as the research in favor of recess has mounted, the amount of time kids spend in this unstructured play period has diminished over time. In the 2001-02 school year, elementary students spend an average of 36.8 minutes per day on playgrounds. Now, the average amount of recess in elementary school is 20-30 minutes, according to the CDC. By the time students reach high school, there’s scant evidence of any built-in recess breaks.
To get teachers’ perspectives about recess and its impact, the EdWeek Research Center conducted an online survey between September and November, polling a nationally representative sample of 464 teachers. The data drilled down to the details, such as the number of recesses per day students get and how long this period lasts.
Responses varied significantly among teachers from different grade levels. Some elementary school teachers reported that their students get multiple recesses per day—26% reported twice-a-day recess; 12%, more than twice daily.
But 80% of high school teachers and 49% of middle school teachers reported that their students do not have any recess at all—despite multiple studies demonstrating that students of all ages can reap the benefits of recess.
“There’s really no evidence that having kids tethered to chairs for six hours a day is the best way to have them learn,” said Rebecca London, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who advocates for more access to recess. “And yet, the idea that we have to have students in classrooms in order for them to learn is so pervasive that some schools don’t have any recess, or some have only 15 minutes of recess for an entire day of school.
More than half (55%) of K-12 teachers said recess at their school lasts 15 to 20 minutes, according to the EdWeek Research Center survey. Notably, 36% of elementary teachers said recess at their school lasts 21 to 30 minutes.
Experts recommend 20 minutes of recess per day, according to the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network, funded by the CDC.
How much recess is enough?
There’s no consensus among teachers on how much recess students need, according to the EdWeek Research Center survey.
All elementary teachers surveyed agreed that their students need recess. Thirty-six percent indicated that 21-30 minutes is the ideal amount of time per day, while a quarter said 31-45 minutes. Fifteen percent put the ideal amount of daily recess at 46-60 minutes.
Among middle school teachers, 12% said their students don’t need any recess, while 36% said 15-20 minutes would be ideal.
More than half of high school teachers (54%) reported that they didn’t think their students needed the free period of play.
Teachers value recess, but other priorities threaten to supersede it
The EdWeek Research Center survey asked teachers to share additional insights about the role of recess. Their responses indicated that while many teachers, especially those who teach elementary school, see the value in unstructured breaks during the day, competing priorities can push recess to the back burner.
An elementary school teacher said, “I feel having certified teachers supervise the playground every day is time that could be spent on planning for the students. I currently bring my students in about seven minutes early, so we will be on time for our next class.”
Another responded, “I am a reading intervention teacher. I know when students are pulled from recess for intervention it is a lose-lose situation. Our district does its best to schedule intervention outside of recess and other core subjects.”
Teachers’ concern over potentially losing instructional time to recess isn’t uncommon. When the superintendent of Virginia Beach, Va., city schools, a district of 67,000 students, decided in 2020 to boost elementary students’ recess time from 15 minutes per day to 30, some staff members initially balked.
Principals worried about fitting the extra time into their master schedule. Teachers worried about the change’s impact on instructional time. The district did, however, proceed with its plans.
Inequities show up in how much recess students get
Even when state legislation mandates that public schools provide a minimum amount of recess daily, it doesn’t always happen.
For instance, Arizona in 2018 passed a bill requiring students in grades K-5 to get at least two recess periods per day. A 2022 study found low compliance with the requirement among public and charter schools in the state, citing a lack of accountability and barriers to recess as reasons why.
Arizona’s excessive heat, coupled with inadequate shade on many school campuses, could make it dangerous during some parts of the school year to adhere to the twice-a-day recess breaks. Under-resourced schools are less likely to have alternate spaces, such as indoor gymnasiums or shade-sheltered outdoor areas, to safely offer recess.
Notably, respondents to the EdWeek Research Center survey who work in schools that serve students from under-resourced backgrounds were about half as likely as those who taught students from high socioeconomic backgrounds to say the amount of recess their students receive is “perfect.”
The EdWeek Research Center survey mirrored other data on this subject. A report co-authored by London that analyzed statewide data from the 2021–22 school year found that, across California, students in larger and lower-income schools received less time for recess than their peers in smaller and higher-income schools.
If legislation alone can’t ensure that students receive a reasonable amount of recess, London suggests that teachers and parents champion the cause.
“I do think that teachers and also parents have a role in advocating for what they think is best for kids,” she said. “They could use their power, collectively or separately, if they felt it was important.”
Said one teacher, in the EdWeek Research Center survey: “We have added recess for grades 7 and 8 this year. I was hesitant about doing it, but it has worked out great. It gives the kids a nice fresh air break and lets them be kids. I’m impressed that they are able to organize their own games and activities, and play well with each other.
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.
