By the time a student gets to high school, there seems to be an overall decrease in the amount of students that read for fun. There are so many benefits to be gained by reading, yet so many students don’t have time or evade reading as a pastime. 

Of the students I’ve polled, only two out of fifteen people have read for fun in the past month. Mostly, they have said they didn’t have time to sit down and read as the fall has been busy. Many things can get in the way of reading for students, like work and choosing pastimes like hanging out with friends.

Lily Blankenship, a Senior at Apex added “I read poetry in my free time, I’d say semi-often.” 

The school library encourages students to read more by their advertisements and their appearances at school events, like the Apple  Fest event that took place just this past month. They often bring a book cart with popular titles, and it is encouraged to check them out.

For a while now, reading has been on a stark decline. Recently, it’s picked up a bit thanks to “Booktok” and its popularization of certain novels that have gone viral. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still not there yet. 13% of students is far from the amount that should be dedicated more to reading. According to Readingzone.com, reading levels rose in 2020 due to the pandemic but fell starkly in 2022 and 2023. They are rapidly approaching the all-time low for the younger age group. 

“There are so many benefits, but one of the biggest benefits of reading for fun is traveling to new places and perspectives in your mind,” adds one of our school librarians, Mrs. Yale. “I think people also think of reading as a big task or something they should do rather than what they want, but when you find the books that you want to read, it becomes a lot more fun.”

Reading is recommended for so many reasons. It’s a break from reality and a way to learn more, and it even gives you a break from the chaos of the internet.