Almost half of all students in Grades 7 and 8 cited "difficulty of homework" as a reason for not completing it, according to survey results released this morning by the Toronto District School Board.

That figure rose to 59 per cent for high school students in the board's first-ever survey into the background, home life and school experiences of its students.

The survey, which was completed by more than 105,000 students in grades 7 to 12, also found that students were spending about 10 to 12 hours on homework each week.

Most students in all of those grades reported needing help with homework, usually from a parent, although three out of 10 high school students reported having no one to turn to for homework help.

Almost half of high school students blamed distractions at home and family responsibilities for interfering with homework, and 17 per cent said they had nowhere at home to study. However, just one-quarter reported their part-time job interfered with homework completion.

The board released a general overview of the data it collected in the survey, which was sent out to students more than a year ago.

A deeper analysis of the data is expected in the coming months as researchers try to find if any particular groups of students - based on sex, race, ethnicity, mother tongue, income or place of residence - are facing barriers to succeeding in school.

The survey asked students everything from their parents' birthplace to their sexual orientation.

Among the major findings:

• Most Toronto students are Canadian born, but just 20 per cent say their parents were born here. Ten per cent have one parent who was born here and the other abroad.
• 92 per cent of students are heterosexual; 4 per cent are "unsure/questioning" their sexuality and 4 per cent are gay, lesbian, bisexual or identify themselves as transgendered.
• One-third of Toronto students are white, the biggest group within the board; East Asians (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) account for 20 per cent of the student body; South Asians (India/Pakistan/Sri Lankan) 19 per cent, and blacks 12 per cent.
• 78 per cent of students live with two parents (including stepparents).
• Most students feel help is available at school when they need it, and that school is a welcoming and friendly place.
• Just 44 per cent of high school students say their school building is "attractive and great place to learn."
• Half of grade 7 and 8 students had experienced bullying in school, and 40 per cent have at the high school level. The most common forms of bullying are insults/name calling, exclusion and threats of violence.

The student survey was developed after concerns by were raised that schools were expelling black students more frequently than white under Ontario's new Safe Schools Act.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission investigated and urged the board to start tracking suspensions by race. A special task force under education veteran Harold Brathwaite studied the best way to gather touchy personal data.

It morphed into the current survey, with more than 55 questions asking students everything from whether they eat breakfast to if they participate in extra-curricular activities.

The board field-tested the 20-minute written survey with 10 schools. Students spent about 20 minutes of in-class time filling out the survey.

With a toughened curriculum and the end of the fifth year of high school, homework overload is a hot topic. Most school boards in Greater Toronto have guidelines limiting homework to 10 minutes per grade, per night - meaning 90 minutes in Grade 9 - they aren't enforceable.

But some feel that because the curriculum is so jam-packed, homework is a way to cram all the material into the school year.

The Toronto board will soon begin consultations with teachers, parents and kids on a new homework policy, after student trustees last year said homework is getting out of control.

During the recent provincial election, Conservative Leader John Tory pledged to limit homework to those recommendations. "Children need a life outside of schools - time with family and friends, not an extra two hours of stress at the end of the day," his campaign pledge stated.

The Liberals promised more after-school and weekend homework help and mentoring/tutoring programs.