One in every 10 U.S. high school students is using e-cigarettes, with 10.0% reporting current use in the most recent CDC YRBS data. The twist is how quickly it moves from first puff to habit, with 41% of current vapers vaping within 30 minutes of waking and disposables driving 81.3% of use. Let’s look at what students are vaping, where they are doing it, and why it keeps pulling new users in.
Key Takeaways
- 89.4% of high school vapers preferred flavored e-cigarettes in 2023 NYTS
- Disposable vapes used by 81.3% of current high school e-cigarette users in 2023
- 55.6% of high school vapers used e-cigarettes to quit smoking cigarettes, per 2022 survey
- Non-Hispanic White high school students vaped at 11.2% in 2023, highest among races
- Hispanic high school students reported 8.7% current e-cigarette use in 2023 NYTS
- Non-Hispanic Black high schoolers had 6.3% vaping prevalence in 2023
- Vaping linked to 2.5x higher risk of asthma attacks in high school students per 2023 study
- High school vapers 3x more likely to develop chronic cough, 40% reported in 2022 survey
- E-cigarette use associated with 1.7x increased depression symptoms in high schoolers
- 75% of high school students knew school vaping was prohibited but 9% vaped anyway
- Enforcement of school vaping bans reduced use by 22% in districts with scanners 2022
- FDA flavor ban proposals supported by 62% of high school non-vapers in 2023 poll
- In 2023, 10.0% of U.S. high school students reported current (past 30-day) e-cigarette use, equating to approximately 2.55 million youth high school students
- Among high school students in 2022 NYTS, 14.1% reported using e-cigarettes on 20 or more days in the past 30 days, indicating frequent use
- The 2023 NYTS found that 27.5% of high school students had ever used e-cigarettes in their lifetime
In 2023, most high school vapers used flavored disposable e cigarettes and started through friends and social media.
Related reading
01 · Category
Behavioral Factors20 stats
01
89.4% of high school vapers preferred flavored e-cigarettes in 2023 NYTS
02
Disposable vapes used by 81.3% of current high school e-cigarette users in 2023
03
55.6% of high school vapers used e-cigarettes to quit smoking cigarettes, per 2022 survey
04
High school students vaped most frequently in bathrooms (42%) or outside school (38%)
05
26.3% of past 30-day high school vapers used two or more tobacco products
06
Social media exposure led 68% of high school vapers to first try e-cigs, 2023 study
07
Friends' influence cited by 72% of high school students as reason for vaping initiation
08
47% of high school vapers reported using vapes to relieve stress/anxiety
09
Average high school vaper used 5.2 days per week in 2022 NYTS
10
19% of high school non-vapers tried vaping after seeing influencers on TikTok
11
High school vapers spent average $25/week on e-liquids/devices
12
33% of high school students obtained vapes from social sources (friends/family)
13
Curiosity was top reason (61%) for first high school vaping episode in 2023
14
41% of high school vapers vaped within 30 minutes of waking, indicating addiction
15
Party/social events prompted 29% of high school vaping incidents weekly
16
52% of high school vapers hid use from parents/teachers regularly
17
Online purchases accounted for 14.2% of vape acquisition by high schoolers
18
Flavor appeal drove 78% continued use among high school vapers
19
24% of high school vapers reported withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit
20
Vaping while driving reported by 11% of high school students with licenses
Interpretation
Behavioral Factors Interpretation
This data paints a stark picture: today's high school vaping culture, fueled by stress, social pressure, and a candy-store array of flavors, has students managing a costly, secretive, and alarmingly frequent addiction often acquired through a screen and practiced in a bathroom stall.
02 · Category
Demographics17 stats
01
Non-Hispanic White high school students vaped at 11.2% in 2023, highest among races
02
Hispanic high school students reported 8.7% current e-cigarette use in 2023 NYTS
03
Non-Hispanic Black high schoolers had 6.3% vaping prevalence in 2023
04
Among 11th graders, males vaped at 14.2% past year vs females 11.8% in 2022 MTF
05
LGBTQ+ high school students had 25.1% current vaping rate vs 8.9% heterosexuals in 2021 YRBS
06
High school students from low-income families (<$35k) vaped at 13.4% in 2022
07
Asian American high schoolers had lowest vaping rate at 5.2% in 2023
08
12th grade males showed 28.1% lifetime vaping vs 24.3% females in 2023 MTF
09
Urban high school students vaped at 9.8% vs 11.5% suburban in 2022 NYTS
10
High school students identifying as bisexual had 32.7% vaping rate in 2023 YRBS
11
Females aged 16-17 in high school vaped menthol flavors at 45.2% of users in 2022
12
Native American high school students had 14.1% current use in 2021
13
10th grade females increased vaping from 10.1% in 2020 to 12.3% in 2022
14
Students with parents who smoke vaped at 18.7% vs 7.2% with non-smoking parents
15
High school GPA below 2.0 correlated with 16.4% vaping rate in 2023
16
Immigrant high school students vaped 7.9% vs 11.2% U.S.-born in 2022
17
Athletes in high school vaped at 7.5% vs 12.1% non-athletes in 2021
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
While these statistics paint a vivid, demographic cross-section of adolescent folly, they collectively reveal that vaping serves as a distressingly popular, and inequitably distributed, coping mechanism for the manifold pressures of high school life.
03 · Category
Health Risks21 stats
01
Vaping linked to 2.5x higher risk of asthma attacks in high school students per 2023 study
02
High school vapers 3x more likely to develop chronic cough, 40% reported in 2022 survey
03
E-cigarette use associated with 1.7x increased depression symptoms in high schoolers
04
25% of high school vapers experienced acute nicotine poisoning symptoms in past year
05
Vaping high school students had 4.2% rate of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI)
06
Daily vaping doubled odds of anxiety disorders in high school cohort study 2023
07
High school e-cig users 2.8x more likely to try marijuana within 6 months
08
18% of high school vapers reported mouth/throat irritation regularly
09
Vaping associated with 30% higher cardiovascular risk markers in high school blood tests
10
High school frequent vapers had 2.1x odds of sleep disturbances per 2022 study
11
E-cig use linked to 15% decline in lung function (FEV1) in high school longitudinal study
12
12% of high school vapers developed wheezing not present before starting
13
Nicotine vaping increased suicide ideation by 3.4x in high school females 2023
14
High school vapers showed 50% higher C-reactive protein inflammation levels
15
Vaping correlated with 2x risk of alcohol misuse in high school seniors
16
22% of daily high school vapers reported headaches/dizziness weekly
17
E-cig users in high school had 1.9x odds of poor oral health (gum disease)
18
Frequent vaping raised popcorn lung risk (bronchiolitis obliterans) by 5x in case studies
19
High school vapers 4x more likely to report heart palpitations
20
35% of high school e-cig users experienced nausea from high nicotine pods
21
Dual use with cannabis in vapes led to 28% psychosis risk increase in high schoolers
Interpretation
Health Risks Interpretation
Vaping is turning high school hallways into a respiratory and psychological minefield, where the temporary cloud of flavor comes with a staggering invoice for your lungs, mind, and future.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy and Trends19 stats
01
75% of high school students knew school vaping was prohibited but 9% vaped anyway
02
Enforcement of school vaping bans reduced use by 22% in districts with scanners 2022
03
FDA flavor ban proposals supported by 62% of high school non-vapers in 2023 poll
04
States with higher tobacco taxes saw 15% lower high school vaping rates 2023
05
Vape shop proximity to schools correlated with 18% higher student use, pre-ban data
06
Pooled Fund campaigns reduced high school vaping intent by 11% in targeted areas
07
2023 NYTS showed declining trends post-PMTA disposables restrictions announcement
08
School-based cessation programs reached 28% of high school vapers with quit attempts
09
Minimum age 21 law reduced high school access by 34% via social sources 2022
10
Menthol e-cig bans in 5 states lowered high school use by 9.2% year-over-year
11
41% of high school principals reported increased vaping post-COVID remote learning
12
Federal PMTA denials led to 25% drop in unauthorized disposable use by 2023
13
Anti-vaping ads viewed by 76% of high schoolers reduced trial rates by 13%
14
Campus vape detectors installed in 1,200 high schools detected 15,000 incidents 2022
15
State laws prohibiting sales to minors cut high school retail purchases by 27%
16
2024 trend: ELF bar popularity drove 12% uptick in high school disposable use
17
Education on vaping risks in curriculum lowered perceptions of safety by 19%
18
Local ordinances banning flavored sales near schools reduced use 16% in 2023
19
Quitline referrals from schools helped 8% of high school vapers quit in 6 months
Interpretation
Policy and Trends Interpretation
The statistics reveal a clear, multi-front battle against youth vaping where enforcement and education can curb the trend, but the problem persists with the stubbornness of a teenager and the adaptability of a trendy new disposable device.
05 · Category
Prevalence Rates21 stats
01
In 2023, 10.0% of U.S. high school students reported current (past 30-day) e-cigarette use, equating to approximately 2.55 million youth high school students
02
Among high school students in 2022 NYTS, 14.1% reported using e-cigarettes on 20 or more days in the past 30 days, indicating frequent use
03
The 2023 NYTS found that 27.5% of high school students had ever used e-cigarettes in their lifetime
04
In 2021, 11.3% of high school students vaped nicotine daily or on most days, per Monitoring the Future survey
05
CDC YRBS 2023 data shows 1.9 million high school students currently used e-cigarettes
06
2022 NYTS reported 2.55 million middle and high school students used flavored e-cigarettes, with high schoolers comprising 85%
07
Among high school students, e-cigarette use peaked at 27.5% current use in 2019 before declining to 10% in 2023
08
7.7% of high school students in 2023 used e-cigarettes frequently (15+ days past month)
09
Lifetime e-cigarette use among high schoolers rose from 11.3% in 2015 to 29.2% in 2019
10
In 2023, disposable e-cigarettes were used by 81.3% of current high school vapers
11
2021 data indicated 3.1 million U.S. youth high school students used tobacco products, primarily e-cigarettes at 2.8 million
12
High school e-cigarette use was 10% in 2023, down from 19.6% in 2020
13
16% of high school students reported dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes in 2022
14
Past-year e-cigarette initiation among never smokers in high school was 12.5% in 2022
15
2023 survey showed 5.9% of high school students vaped daily
16
E-cigarette use among high school athletes was 8.2% in 2022, slightly lower than non-athletes at 10.5%
17
In rural high schools, vaping rates were 12.3% vs 9.1% in urban areas in 2023 NYTS
18
2021 MTF data: 25.6% of 12th graders had vaped nicotine in the past year
19
High school vaping experimentation rate was 32.4% lifetime in 2020
20
9.4% current e-cigarette use among high school females in 2023
21
Male high school students had 10.6% current vaping rate in 2023
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
While the decline in overall vaping is a victory, the fact that one in four high school students have ever vaped and roughly one in ten still do so regularly means the classroom cloud hasn't fully cleared just yet.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). High School Vaping Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-vaping-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "High School Vaping Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/high-school-vaping-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "High School Vaping Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-vaping-statistics.
Sources & references
19 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level