Recent surveys have pointed to the growing mental health crisis among teens, particularly girls as nearly 3 in 5 reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the height of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The good news is teenage students are doing better, but there’s still room for improvement.
A new survey from Morning Consult and EdChoice reveals some of the most prominent perspectives teenage students hold toward their schools. The data, based on responses from 1,000 teenagers between March 24 and April 5, suggests that most aspects of their lives have improved since the pandemic, including their relationships with their family and friends, their physical and mental health and their overall happiness.
However, one-fourth of teens say their stress levels have worsened and 21% say they’ve gotten “much worse.” Additionally, 20% say their anxiety has gotten “somewhat worse.”
According to the report, students attribute these feelings to their schools’ priorities. While leaders are making strides in helping students feel safer, teens believe mental health support is being overshadowed.
As of March, 40% of students say they hold positive feelings toward their school’s attention toward guns, bullying (32%) and violent behaviors (36%). However, just over 30% of students feel mental health is being handled in their schools.
But there’s also good news to share. Leaders’ efforts to prepare students for college education are making positive gains. 35% of students plan to enroll in a 4-year college or university, a six percent increase since last fall. Furthermore, students say they’re satisfied with their life direction and academic performance.
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Other key findings:
- One-third of teens have changed schools in the last three years. Two in five have changed schools more than twice.
- Teens believe future employment skills are the most important thing to learn during their K12 years. Core academics and solving social issues are the least of their concerns.
- Compared to students, parents are nearly twice as likely to be very concerned about a violent intruder entering their school. Just over one-fourth of students hold this fear.
- Nearly 25% of teens have no post-high school plans or don’t know their next step. Compared to last fall, teens are feeling less prepared overall for education after high school.
