September 22, 2026
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High school girls are still reporting higher levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts than high school boys, a new CDC report says.
The overall mental health of high school students in the United States continues on an upswing, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
But the CDC's latest Youth Health in Focus survey, which is conducted every two years, found that 1 in 3 high school students are still reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, with teen girls being more affected than young men.
In 2025, 33% of high school students said they had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past 12 months, down from 40% in 2023 and a peak of 42% during the pandemic in 2021. The percentage of students reporting poor mental health also declined to 23% in 2025 from 29% in 2023 and 2021.
Self-reported measures related to suicide also decreased. In 2025, 14% of high school students said they had seriously considered attempting suicide, down from 20% in 2023 and 22% in 2021. The percentage of students who said they had made a suicide plan in the past 12 months dropped to 12% in 2025 from 16% in 2023 and 18% in 2021.
"Those declines in depression and suicidal thoughts are very striking, particularly that they're lower than 2019," Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University, told the New York Times. "This isn't just post pandemic anymore, this is a more longstanding trend in improvement."
The new survey also showed that suicide attempts went down to 6% in 2025, from 9% in 2023 and 10% in 2021. The percentage of students who reported being injured in a suicide attempt and needing treatment from a nurse or doctor also declined to 1% in 2025 from 2% in 2023 and 3% in 2021.
But in 2025, female high schoolers were more likely to report that they were struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts than male students. Among female students in 2025, 43% reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, compared to 24% of male students.
Also, 18% of female students reported seriously thinking about attempting suicide and 15% actually made a plan, compared to 11% and 10% of male students, respectively.
Eight percent of female students said they had attempted suicide and 2% said they were treated for injuries from suicide attempts over the past 12 months. Among male students, those figures were 5% and 1%.
Also notable was the fact that the report omitted questions or results for LGBTQ+ students due to President Donald Trump's executive order that only recognizes male and female sexes.
The CDC surveys students in public and private schools around the country to provide a tool to compare youth behaviors, including substance use, exposure to community violence, housing-related issues, obesity and other health-related issues, over time.
The CDC has conducted the survey every two years since 1991.
