average weight for a fourth grader
In the lower grades, most backpacks weighed just a pound or two. Out of 105 students in grades one through three, only one pack weighed more than 10 pounds. But starting in fourth grade, average weight rose notably, from 3.2 pounds to 4.3 pounds in fifth grade and 7.1 pounds in grade six. And the number of very heavy packs -- 13, 15, 17, 20 pounds -- also rose. It's important to note that the packs were weighed at the start of the school year.