Get the Real Story on Student Screen Time
National K–12 screen time benchmarks reveal the facts behind the headlines —
so district leaders can lead informed conversations with parents, boards, and their community.
Average Daily Minutes by Grade
National data shows that students are not on screens all day. Elementary students spend under 1 hour of in-school screen time on average, while higher usage in middle and high school reflect greater digital coursework and collaboration.
Minutes per Student, National Average Across Jan-Jun 2025
National Trend, Jan-June 2025
Screen Time
Throughout the Year
Screen time tapers throughout the year reflecting instructional rhythm, and stays below 100 minutes even at peak months.
National Daily Average
77 min
In-school screen time average across K-12
Top App Category
Learning
Instructional apps lead by share of minutes
Coverage
All 50 States
Benchmark from a national K-12 footprint
Where Minutes Go by Category
Despite concerns about quantity of online activity, data shows learning and productivity dominate usage.
Top app categories include:
- Classroom platforms: tools that manage assignments and communication
- Curriculum: Core, online learning platforms (ex: i-Ready)
- Research & Media: Open-ended web use like Google search and YouTube
- Productivity: Apps where students generate academic work, like Google Docs
- Reading tools: Digital reading programs and fluency-building apps
- Practice & Review: Skill reinforcement through quizzes, games, and interactive practice
What the screen time data really says:
Use this in board and
leadership meetings
Bring data to the conversation.
Benchmark against national data to contextualize conversations
and decision-making around screentime.
All screen time data shared here is proprietary data from Lightspeed Insight and is based on activity on district/school-provided devices, not personal devices.
Get Clarity From Your Own District Data
With Lightspeed Insight™, districts move from assumptions to answers — on screen time and beyond. Give leadership the full picture of app activity so they can make informed, confident decisions.
Lightspeed Insight lets schools:
- Measure screen time by grade, time of day, and type of online activity.
- Reclaim wasted budget by surfacing unused or redundant tools.
- Strengthen compliance with built-in vetting, approval workflows, and Public Apps Lists.
