Student survey finds high AP loads and low average sleep; wellness days popular

Cynthia Tian, the student representative to the board, summarized results from a survey of 320 students about academic pressure, AP course-taking, sleep, and wellness-day preferences. She told the board that "the majority of 10th graders have a median of around 2 APs" while 11th and 12th graders had medians around 4, and that students reported a range of study hours with some reporting "10 to 12 hours studying" per day. She said the survey asked students how many APs they plan to take and which supports would reduce stress; common suggestions included "add wellness days, less homework, testing schedules, limiting APs, lowering grade expectations, counseling or mental health support."

On sleep, Tian reported a mean of roughly 6.63 hours across grades and said that figure is "far from the recommended 8 hours." She also presented student interest in assemblies and workshops, with top requests including mental health awareness, sleep education, and career planning (Northwell Health workshops, mindfulness sessions, and risky-behavior programming were among suggested topics). Tian recommended the board consider elements of those suggestions when shaping student supports and event planning.

Board members asked about sample composition (she said most responses were from 10th graders because of advisor outreach) and feasibility of specific suggestions; students and staff discussed pilot approaches (mandatory lunch periods, targeted wellness weeks) and next steps for considering proposals before the next school year.