Parents generally spend around 7,000 minutes each year driving during the school season.
A study involving 2,000 millennial parents of school-age children revealed that they average about 38 minutes daily just commuting to and from various school-related events.
Over a typical 180-day school year, this amounts to approximately 6,858 minutes, which is nearly equivalent to spending 15 full workdays driving.
Commissioned by Bob Evans and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that 77% of parents noted that the back-to-school period makes their daily routines feel busier and less predictable.
One of the biggest stressors in households arises from trying to balance personal schedules with those of their kids, affecting 52% of participants.
The research also explored other difficulties parents encounter during back-to-school time.
The leading issue reported was the rising cost of school supplies and materials, affecting 55% of parents. Additionally, about 71% mentioned that their overall spending for back-to-school has gone up compared to the previous year.
Other common challenges include adjusting to new routines (42%) and managing meal planning during the week (41%).
Many parents are also making sacrifices, with 49% giving up personal time or hobbies and 40% sacrificing sleep to manage everything that comes with the back-to-school season.
There is a strong focus on reducing personal stress, with 53% of parents believing that easy meal prep, 52% seeking more sleep, and 49% craving help with grocery shopping could alleviate some of the stress.
Jason Roche, a vice president at Bob Evans Farms, remarked, “When you consider the numbers, parents are effectively spending the equivalent of nearly three working days each week just driving to and from activities. With such time commitments, dinners must fit seamlessly into the day, providing comfort food options to ease hectic weeknights.”
When it comes to dinner during the back-to-school rush, a staggering 90% of parents find it hard to come up with new and interesting meal options.
Problems at dinner time are often attributed to time and planning limitations (50%), children’s picky eating (46%), and decision fatigue (45%).
A significant number of parents—about 30%—report contemplating dinner options multiple times a day throughout the school week.
Seventy-one percent of parents have fundamentally changed how they prepare weeknight dinners due to their child’s school or activity schedules, and over half (54%) feel they lack sufficient time for meal prep.
The average time spent preparing dinner on weekdays hovers around 35 minutes, with families managing to eat together about four times weekly. Consequently, many parents express feeling overwhelmed by the effort required to prepare meals for their families (66%).
Nearly 80% of parents plan to opt for quick and easy meals to streamline their schedules during back-to-school.
A little over half (58%) of parents noted an uptick in using ready-made or easy-to-prepare meals compared to the year prior.
Roche adds, “Quick, delicious meal solutions that accommodate your family’s schedule can significantly enhance your week. With dinner sorted, families have more freedom to focus on what matters most.”
Research method:
Talker Research conducted an online survey of 2,000 U.S. millennial parents with school-age children, commissioned by Bob Evans, from May 28, 2026, to June 4, 2026.
