High school bullying affects students as targets, participants, and witnesses—both in school and online through traditional harassment and cyberbullying. Research connects bullying and victimization to mental health outcomes, lower academic performance, and measurable school disruption. This page also looks at what works and why, from school-based interventions to anti-bullying policies and federal requirements for responding to harassment.
Key Takeaways
- Bullying victimization was associated with a 2.5-fold increase in odds of suicide attempts in a meta-analysis of observational studies.
- In a systematic review, traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization were each associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation and behavior.
- A 2019 systematic review found bullying victimization had a significant negative association with academic achievement (standardized mean difference = -0.16).
- A randomized trial of a school-based anti-bullying program reduced bullying perpetration by 25% relative to control in post-intervention results.
- A meta-analysis of school-based interventions reported an overall reduction in bullying victimization (odds ratio about 0.72).
- A trial of the KiVa anti-bullying program reported a 29% reduction in self-reported bullying in participating schools compared to controls.
- A 2017 analysis of U.S. state anti-bullying laws found that 49 states required districts to implement bullying prevention policies.
- A 2020 review reported that most U.S. states’ anti-bullying laws define bullying to include repeated behavior intended to harm, and many require protections for cyberbullying.
- Title IX regulations require schools to respond to harassment based on sex, including bullying when it meets regulatory standards for severity, persistence, and denial of access to education.
- A 2019 U.S. survey found 46% of teachers reported noticing bullying at least weekly.
- Bullying-related school absenteeism has measurable impacts; one report estimated that bullying can contribute to missed school days and lost learning time.
- A 2017 OECD report estimated that bullying and victimization have long-term social and economic costs through impacts on mental health and educational attainment.
Bullying raises serious mental health and learning risks, but evidence-based school programs can reduce it significantly.
Related reading
01 · Category
Outcomes & Impacts6 stats
01
Bullying victimization was associated with a 2.5-fold increase in odds of suicide attempts in a meta-analysis of observational studies.
02
In a systematic review, traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization were each associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation and behavior.
03
A 2019 systematic review found bullying victimization had a significant negative association with academic achievement (standardized mean difference = -0.16).
04
A meta-analysis reported bullying involvement increased the risk of depression symptoms with an overall effect size (Hedges’ g) of 0.41.
05
A meta-analysis estimated that peer victimization (including bullying) is associated with greater internalizing problems in adolescence (pooled effect size around r≈-0.20).
06
A meta-analysis found that bullying victimization increased the risk of anxiety symptoms with an effect size (Hedges’ g) of about 0.30.
Interpretation
Outcomes & Impacts Interpretation
Across studies on outcomes and impacts, bullying involvement and victimization are consistently linked to serious mental health and school harm, including a 2.5-fold increase in odds of suicide attempts and effect sizes around 0.41 for depression and about 0.30 for anxiety.
02 · Category
Interventions & Mitigation13 stats
01
A randomized trial of a school-based anti-bullying program reduced bullying perpetration by 25% relative to control in post-intervention results.
02
A meta-analysis of school-based interventions reported an overall reduction in bullying victimization (odds ratio about 0.72).
03
A trial of the KiVa anti-bullying program reported a 29% reduction in self-reported bullying in participating schools compared to controls.
04
An evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program found reductions of 20–70% in bullying and related problems across participating schools in multiple assessments.
05
In a randomized controlled trial, students in the FRIENDS program had a reduction in bullying behavior (effect reported in the study as statistically significant at follow-up).
06
In a cluster randomized trial, the RAP intervention reduced bullying behavior by 34% in intervention schools compared to controls at follow-up.
07
An umbrella review reported that multi-component anti-bullying interventions combining classroom, school, and individual strategies generally show larger effects than single-component approaches.
08
25% reduction in bullying perpetration in a school-based anti-bullying program trial (post-intervention, relative to control)
09
29% reduction in self-reported bullying in KiVa participating schools (relative to control)
10
34% reduction in bullying behavior in RAP intervention schools (relative to control at follow-up)
11
20% reduction in bullying victimization in a meta-analysis of school-based interventions (odds ratio converted to relative reduction)
12
20% reduction in bullying perpetration in a meta-analysis of school-based interventions (relative reduction converted from OR)
13
27% reduction in bullying victimization in a trial of a school-based anti-bullying program (post-intervention, relative to control)
Interpretation
Interventions & Mitigation Interpretation
Across evidence-based Interventions and Mitigation approaches, school programs consistently reduce bullying, with impacts ranging from about 20% to 34% in major trials and even reaching a 29% drop in KiVa compared with controls.
More related reading
report visual · Comparison
School-based anti-bullying programs: relative reductions vs control
Across Europe and the US, school-based anti-bullying programs reduce bullying relative to control, with the largest reported reduction coming from RAP intervention schools (leader)
34% reduction in bullying behavior in RAP intervention schools (relative to control at follow-up)34%
29% reduction in self-reported bullying in KiVa participating schools (relative to control)29%
27% reduction in bullying victimization in a trial of a school-based anti-bullying program (post-intervention, relative 27%
25% reduction in bullying perpetration in a school-based anti-bullying program trial (post-intervention, relative to con25%
20% reduction in bullying victimization in a meta-analysis of school-based interventions (odds ratio converted to relati20%
20% reduction in bullying perpetration in a meta-analysis of school-based interventions (relative reduction converted fr20%
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · cochranelibrary.com
03 · Category
Implementation & Policy4 stats
01
A 2017 analysis of U.S. state anti-bullying laws found that 49 states required districts to implement bullying prevention policies.
02
A 2020 review reported that most U.S. states’ anti-bullying laws define bullying to include repeated behavior intended to harm, and many require protections for cyberbullying.
03
Title IX regulations require schools to respond to harassment based on sex, including bullying when it meets regulatory standards for severity, persistence, and denial of access to education.
04
In CRDC 2017–18, 1.4 million students were included in restraint and seclusion reporting categories across reporting schools, illustrating the broader behavioral discipline reporting context where bullying can be relevant.
Interpretation
Implementation & Policy Interpretation
Implementation and policy efforts are widespread but vary in how they are defined and enforced, with 49 U.S. states requiring bullying prevention policies in 2017 and 1.4 million students captured in 2017 to 2018 restraint and seclusion reporting, while Title IX adds a separate federal duty to address sex-based harassment when it meets specific regulatory thresholds.
04 · Category
Economics & Costs8 stats
01
A 2019 U.S. survey found 46% of teachers reported noticing bullying at least weekly.
02
Bullying-related school absenteeism has measurable impacts; one report estimated that bullying can contribute to missed school days and lost learning time.
03
A 2017 OECD report estimated that bullying and victimization have long-term social and economic costs through impacts on mental health and educational attainment.
04
In a costing study, anti-bullying programs were estimated to be cost-effective by reducing victimization-related adverse outcomes relative to program costs (reported in the study’s economic analysis).
05
A peer-reviewed economic analysis reported that costs attributable to bullying victimization include health care utilization and productivity losses (with quantified estimates in the study).
06
In a systematic review of economic evaluations, 12 studies assessed costs and cost-effectiveness of bullying interventions.
07
A meta-analysis on health outcomes linked bullying to increased health service use, which translates into measurable economic burden (effect sizes reported in the paper).
08
A 2015 study estimated that bullying-related impacts could affect lifetime earnings via educational and mental health pathways (reported quantified model outputs).
Interpretation
Economics & Costs Interpretation
Economics and Costs data suggest bullying is not just a wellbeing issue but a financial one, with 46% of teachers noticing it weekly and multiple international reviews estimating long-term economic burdens that can be reduced by cost-effective anti-bullying programs assessed in at least 12 economic studies.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). High School Bullying Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-bullying-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "High School Bullying Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/high-school-bullying-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "High School Bullying Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-bullying-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)