Why It Matters
Mental health struggles among teenagers have drawn national attention as a significant public health concern. New data from North Carolina’s high school population shows measurable improvement in key indicators, suggesting that recent policy interventions and expanded counseling resources may be yielding results.
What Happened
The North Carolina High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, presented to the State Board of Education this week, tracked responses from 1,692 students across 25 traditional public and charter high schools during spring 2025. The survey found notable declines in students reporting severe emotional distress and suicidal thoughts compared with data from earlier in the decade.
The share of high schoolers who experienced sadness or hopelessness severe enough to interfere with normal activities for two or more weeks dropped to 29.7% in 2025, down from 43% in 2021. Similarly, the percentage of students seriously considering suicide fell to 11.4%, the lowest rate recorded in a 20-year span, compared with 22.3% in 2021.
Survey data also revealed disparities linked to academic performance. Among students self-reporting mostly D and F grades, 56% reported feeling sad or hopeless, compared with 22% of students earning mostly A grades—a gap suggesting that academic struggles correlate with emotional distress.
On substance use, the survey documented continued progress. Current cigarette smoking among high schoolers stands at 3.5%, while vaping has declined to 13% in 2025 from 21% in 2023. Since 2005, alcohol use among the age group has fallen more than 26%, and marijuana use has dropped more than 10%.
One unexpected finding concerned social media consumption. Heavy social media use—defined as access more than once hourly or several times daily—declined 4.5% over the past two years, a shift that may be connected to a new state law restricting cell phones in classrooms that took effect in January.
However, significant gaps in mental health care persist. Fourteen percent of surveyed students said they needed counseling but did not receive it, and 23 North Carolina school districts currently employ zero full-time school psychologists.
By the Numbers
1,692 — students surveyed across 25 high schools
29.7% — high schoolers reporting severe sadness or hopelessness in 2025
43% — high schoolers reporting severe sadness or hopelessness in 2021
11.4% — students seriously considering suicide in 2025 (20-year low)
22.3% — students seriously considering suicide in 2021
14% — students needing mental health counseling but not receiving it
13% — high schoolers routinely using vaping products in 2025
21% — high schoolers routinely using vaping products in 2023
3.5% — current high school cigarette smoking rate
23 — school districts with zero full-time school psychologists
$29 million — federal mental health grants received by North Carolina in the past two years
$4.8 million — state Department of Public Instruction grant for school psychologist intern salary and housing stipends
10 — interns placed for the coming year
Zoom Out
Rising mental health challenges among adolescents have become a recurring concern nationwide, with multiple studies documenting increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among teenagers over the past decade. North Carolina’s latest data suggests that targeted interventions—including classroom cell phone restrictions, expanded federal grant funding, and efforts to increase the school psychologist workforce—may help reverse some of these trends.
The state’s success in reducing vaping and substance abuse aligns with national patterns showing sustained declines in teen smoking and alcohol consumption, though vaping remains more prevalent than traditional smoking in this age group across most states.
What’s Next
North Carolina has secured $29 million in federal mental health grants over the past two years and announced a $4.8 million initiative to place and support school psychologist interns, with 10 positions filled for the coming year. State education officials indicated that efforts to reduce staffing gaps in mental health services and monitor social media use will continue, though the persistence of unmet counseling needs suggests sustained pressure to expand resources across the state’s school districts.