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Burnout—the feeling of being completely exhausted, unmotivated, and drained—is not something that only adults experience at work. More and more, high school students are feeling it, too, as academic pressure, extracurriculars, and constant digital connections pile up. In today’s world, students are juggling harder classes, college preparation, jobs, and social lives that never turn off. For many, the pressure to do everything perfectly leads to exhaustion that no nap or even a weekend can fix. Teachers notice it, counselors try to address it, and the students themselves are speaking out about what it means to be burned out before graduation. High school burnout has become a growing issue—one where students, teachers, and counselors are all trying to find a steady balance.
Student burnout looks different for every student. Mr. Klemm, a high school dual credit psychology teacher, says, “ I would say students deflect.” Most often, students who experience a feeling of exhaustion, or an empty tank, turn towards other things to distract themselves. With that being said, “… they turn towards games and other technochology,” stated Klemm. These are used as common coping mechanisms and strategies to navigate the stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. As a teacher, Klemm, “emphasize[s] the importance of communicat[ion] from day one.” Teachers are often open to extensions, due date changes, or even excused assignments, but despite this flexibility, students continue to experience more burnout each year. Students put so much stress upon themselves to perform at a certain level, causing extreme decreases in motivation as the year goes on. Klemm says, “I do not feel like our expectations are extremely high here at the high school.” The students bring so much upon themselves that it causes stress or feelings of being overwhelmed. As well as internal pressure, students also have external pressure from parents. In the classroom, teachers try to have a relationship with their students to gain trust and comfort. Teachers are still trying to find ways to help maintain a balance while still learning. Klemm says, “We have to be mindful of their lives outside of school. There have been studies that show how ineffective homework can truly be. Students here also have heavy class loads, and they can not only do psychology.” In classes, there are so many things teachers can do to help create a more low-stress environment. “I can still cover high-level content, while joking and being unserious sometimes,” Klemm states. While teachers see the exhaustion firsthand, school counselors are often the ones helping students manage it.
While the teachers are seeing burnout in the classroom at the academic level, school counselors are seeing the emotional impact behind it. According to Mrs. King, a school counselor, “There is so much happening that kids don’t even talk about.” The root behind most of these feelings comes from “the desire for perfection in all aspects of life (academics, extracurriculars, friendships),” King emphasizes. Burnout becomes an even bigger problem when it starts to become prominent outside of school. For example, “you are no longer interested in extracurriculars or even hanging out with friends, the things that once made you excited,” King says. At this point, there is an even deeper problem—mental health. Schools like Rochester offer some resources, but are limited to counselors, psychologists, and social workers. At school, counselors can only provide so much before involving parents to seek outside help. This is when students no longer feel like they can utilize the staff at school. Students will then resort to focusing on self-care. This looks different for everyone. “You have to do what works for you,” King explains. School is hard, so you have to make time to take care of yourself. There are so many things that play into academic burnout, and each student goes through it differently. But no one understands the pressure quite like the students living through it.
King’s words reflect what many adults see from the outside. But from the inside, students feel the pressure building in ways that are hard to explain. Their experiences show what burnout truly looks like beyond the classroom and counseling office. Jasmine Stubbs, a junior at Rochester, explains, “I definitely have felt burnout. It is mainly from things outside of school, and then things at school piling up on top of it.” There are only 24 hours a day, and for many students, that is simply not enough. While at school, Stubbs says, “I get my school work done here, and when I leave, I focus on myself, including my social life.” This is just one example of trying to find a healthy balance between mental health and academics. Burnout was not as common in the past, but one huge change to that was the evolution of social media. “I feel like I have to be perfect in school, in music, in plays, in appearance, and in social status,” Stubbs said. All these things that students are involved in contribute to their mental health, which can cause burnout. “Students have to speak up for themselves. We are all human,” Stubbs says. Even though burnout has become common, students and the staff believe a balance is still possible.
Burnout has quietly woven itself into high school life, becoming something many students have accepted as normal. But it does not have to be. Teachers like Mr. Klemm continue to search for ways to make learning more manageable and meaningful, reminding students that progress is more important than perfection. Counselors like Mrs. King encourage students to slow down, breathe, and remember that their worth is not defined by grades or achievements. Students like Stubbs prove that balance can be found—when they make space for rest, connection, and self-care. The pressure to be perfect may never completely fade, but awareness and empathy can change how we handle it. When students speak up, when teachers listen, and when schools make mental health part of the conversation, real change begins to take place. Burnout may be a reality for many, but so is resilience—and that resilience has the power to redefine what success truly means. The burnout epidemic is real, but so is the generation determined to rise above it.