Ten years, one line
In 2015, 30% of high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness. By 2021, it was 42%. In 2025, it was 33%.
| Year | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 30% | 31% | 37% | 42% | 40% | 33% |
*The 2021 survey was conducted in the fall, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recent drop is real. So is the distance still to go.
The turn
Between 2023 and 2025, five of the six mental health and suicide-risk indicators CDC tracks improved.
| Indicator | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent sadness or hopelessness | 40% | 33% |
| Poor mental health | 29% | 23% |
| Seriously considered suicide | 20% | 14% |
| Made a suicide plan | 16% | 12% |
| Attempted suicide | 9% | 6% |
All bars use the same 0–50% scale.
All five changes are statistically significant per CDC. Across the full 2015-2025 period, CDC's trend analysis found no significant overall rise or decline in considering, planning, or attempting suicide.
The gap between girls and boys
In 2025, girls were nearly twice as likely as boys to report persistent sadness or hopelessness: 43% vs. 24%.
| Indicator | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent sadness or hopelessness | 43% | 24% |
| Poor mental health | 31% | 16% |
| Seriously considered suicide | 18% | 11% |
Girls were more likely than boys to report every indicator CDC measured. All differences are statistically significant.
What's linked to better outcomes
In 2023, CDC found several everyday factors linked to lower rates of sadness and suicide risk among high school students.
The analysis looked at four indicators: persistent sadness or hopelessness, poor mental health, seriously considering suicide, and attempting suicide.
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Feeling close to people at school
Lower rates across all four indicators measured.
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8+ hours of sleep
Lower rates across all four.
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An adult at home who always tries to meet their basic needs
Lower rates across all four.
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Parents who know where they are and who they're with
Lower rates across three of four.
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Playing on a team
Lower rates across three of four.
These are associations, not proof of cause. Results are adjusted for demographic factors. Research details
Source: 5
Practical steps
What CDC recommends
Families
- Talk with your teen about mental health, often.
- Spend time doing things together.
- Provide age-appropriate supervision.
Schools
- Build mental health literacy.
- Strengthen connection with peers and teachers.
- Teach coping, problem-solving, and emotional skills.
- Train staff to recognize suicide risk and refer students for help.
Source: 1
If you're worried about a young person
-
Talk about it, and keep talking.
Frequent conversations build trust and make honest ones easier.
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Stay close.
Time together builds the connection that matters.
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Reach out for support.
Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can contact 988 if you're worried about someone else, too.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
Sources & notes
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Health in Focus: Findings From the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2015–2025, Mental Health and Suicide Risks. 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Technical Notes and Data Tables for Youth Health in Focus (PDF). 2026.
- Mpofu JJ, McKinnon II, Figueroa A, et al. Overview and Methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System — United States, 2025. MMWR Suppl 2026;75(Suppl-1):1–11.
- Kiplagat SJ, Verlenden J, Petrosky E, et al. Unmet need for mental health services among high school students experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2025. MMWR Suppl 2026;75(Suppl-1):35–43. Finding as summarized in source 3.
- Verlenden JV, Fodeman A, Wilkins N, et al. Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students and Protective Factors — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Suppl 2024;73(Suppl-4):79–86.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline fact sheet (PDF); 988lifeline.org.
- Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide.
About the data
- All figures are national estimates for U.S. high school students (grades 9–12), shown as published by CDC and rounded to whole numbers.
- The 2025 survey's overall response rate was 30.6%, the lowest in its history. Responses are self-reported. Homeschooled and out-of-school youth aren't included.
- CDC changed the survey's sampling, administration mode, and questionnaire in 2023. The 2021 survey was conducted in the fall.
- The classroom illustration at the top is a visual aid: 33% of a class of 30 is about 10 students.
-
Adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): a value below 1.0 means
students with that factor had a lower prevalence of the
indicator, after adjusting for sex, sexual identity, grade, and
race and ethnicity. Ranges span the indicators with a
statistically significant association. The four indicators in
the 2023 analysis were persistent sadness or hopelessness, poor
mental health, seriously considering suicide, and attempting
suicide. The survey is cross-sectional, so these associations do
not show cause and effect.
- Feeling close to people at school: aPR 0.63–0.70.
- 8+ hours of sleep: aPR 0.53–0.67.
- An adult at home who always tries to meet their basic needs: aPR 0.41–0.80.
- Parents who know where they are and who they're with: aPR 0.51–0.74.
- Playing on a team: aPR 0.84–0.90.
Survey questions
Exact wording from CDC (source 2, Tables 1c–1e).
- Persistent sadness or hopelessness
- “During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?”
- Poor mental health
- “During the past 30 days, how often was your mental health not good? (Poor mental health includes stress, anxiety, and depression.)” Counted if “most of the time” or “always.”
- Seriously considered suicide
- “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?”
- Made a suicide plan
- “During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide?”
- Attempted suicide
- “During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?” Counted if one or more times.
- Sleep
- “On an average school night, how many hours of sleep do you get?” Counted if 8 hours or more.
- Social media
- “How often do you use social media?” Counted if “about once an hour” or more often.
About this page
- This page follows the Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide.
- It is not medical advice. It is not affiliated with CDC.