As the school year continues, many students begin to feel more stressed and burned out. What starts as motivation at the beginning of the year can slowly turn into exhaustion as academic pressure builds. Between homework, tests, activities, and responsibilities outside of school, students often struggle to keep up, which can take a toll on both motivation and mental health.
Mrs. Downing, a school counselor, explained that students often start to feel unmotivated and show signs of burnout as the school year progresses. “I would say March is when I notice students becoming unmotivated and burnout from school,” she said. She added that “it’s a long month,” and many students struggle to keep their motivation and momentum after months of nonstop work.
High academic expectations also play a major role in student stress. According to Mrs. Downing, challenging demands can motivate students by helping them grow and feel accomplished. However, she explained that expectations can become harmful when they feel unreachable. “It could negatively impact a student if they feel like their self-worth is defined by their grades,” she said, which can lower confidence and motivation.
Many students also feel overwhelmed trying to balance school with responsibilities outside of school, such as jobs or family obligations. Mrs. Downing shared that time management is an important skill and that having structure and routine can help students avoid procrastination. Even so, managing everything at once can still feel stressful for many students.
When asked what students need most to stay motivated and mentally healthy, Mrs. Downing emphasized the importance of support and connection. “Students need to feel seen, heard, respected, understood, and valued as a person,” she said. She believes that strong relationships between students and staff are essential for creating a positive school culture.
Mrs. Downing also believes students today experience more stress than students in the past. She pointed to social media and constant comparison as major factors. “Comparison steals joy,” she explained, noting that technology often shows a filtered version of people’s lives. She added that this can harm self-harm and create a false sense of connection, while many students lack genuine face-to-face interactions.
When students are feeling stressed or unmotivated, their behavior often changes. Mrs. Downing explained that students may “isolate or disengage” and can become “more irritable, on edge, moody, and shut down,” making it harder for others to notice what they are going through.
From a student perspective, school stress and burnout are very real experiences. Maddie Lavoie, a student at the high school, shared that balancing academics with extracurricular activities is one of the biggest sources of stress. “The thing that causes me the most stress is trying to balance all my work and extracurriculars, while also trying to keep my grades up,” she said, explaining that managing everything at once can feel overwhelming.
Maddie also shared that burnout became especially noticeable during her junior year. She explained that the workload often felt unmanageable, leaving her unsure of where to begin. “It felt like I genuinely didn’t even know where to start with all the work I had to get done,” she said, adding that her motivation significantly decreased during that time.
To manage school alongside her jobs, sports, and clubs, Maddie tries to complete her homework as soon as she gets home. However, she admitted that exhaustion often makes this difficult. She also explained that she uses any available time during the school day to stay caught up. “I try to maximize my time by using R-blocks or lunches to get work done,” she said.
According to Maddie, ongoing stress directly affects her motivation and mental health. She shared that school stress makes her feel less motivated to complete assignments and increases her anxiety about meeting deadlines. This constant pressure can make school feel more stressful than productive.
To cope with stress, Maddie takes breaks when needed and switches between subjects to avoid feeling overwhelmed. She also spends time with her family, friends, and dogs to relax. To stay organized, she keeps an agenda and a to-do list, which helps her keep track of assignments and stay motivated.
When asked what she wishes teachers understood better, Maddie emphasized the importance of recognizing students’ lives outside of school. “I wish teachers would understand that we also have a life out of school,” she said, explaining that balancing schoolwork with sports and extracurricular activities can be extremely challenging.
Overall, school stress and burnout are challenges that affect many students throughout the school year. The perspectives of both Mrs. Downing and Maddie Lavoie highlight how academic pressure, extracurricular responsibilities, and high expectations can impact motivation and mental health. By understanding these challenges and supporting students both inside and outside the classroom, schools can help create a healthier and more balanced learning environment.
