Fifty percent of U.S. high school students reported anxiety symptoms in the past year. Forty percent described persistent sadness or hopelessness over the same period. These patterns coincide with documented barriers such as cost and psychiatrist shortages that limit treatment access.
Key Takeaways
- 40% of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in the past year in a 2021 pooled analysis (U.S.)
- 4% of U.S. high school students reported dating violence and attempting suicide (association in a 2019 analysis)
- 38% of U.S. high school students reported that they were bullied at school or online at least once (including both types of bullying combined), per a 2019 national analysis by UNESCO/partnered survey synthesis reported by UNICEF data portal.
- 50% of U.S. high school students reported experiencing anxiety symptoms in the past year in a 2021 CDC analysis
- 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder each year (U.S.)
- 25% of U.S. adults have a mental illness in a given year (U.S.)
- 55% of parents reported their child’s mental health is worse than before the pandemic (U.S.) in 2022
- 18.9% CAGR forecast for the global digital mental health market from 2024 to 2030 (vendor forecast)
- Telehealth mental health visits increased by 20x from March 2019 to April 2020 in the U.S. (trend indicator)
- 4% of U.S. adolescents who needed mental health services did not receive them due to wait times in 2021
- $200 billion global economic cost per year of mental disorders and substance use disorders, with 2010 WHO estimate (global economic impact)
- 8.2% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were attributable to mental disorders and substance use disorders in a 2016 WHO estimate
- 60% of surveyed U.S. high school students in 2021 reported that they had at least one teacher they felt comfortable talking to about personal problems (school connectedness indicator).
- 21% of U.S. high school students reported that cost was a barrier to getting mental health care in the past year in the Healthy Minds Network 2022 report.
- In 2021, the U.S. had a projected shortage of 2,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists to meet population need (AAMC workforce projections).
About half of US high school students report anxiety or persistent sadness, despite major access gaps and rising needs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
55% of parents reported their child’s mental health is worse than before the pandemic (U.S.) in 2022
02
18.9% CAGR forecast for the global digital mental health market from 2024 to 2030 (vendor forecast)
03
Telehealth mental health visits increased by 20x from March 2019 to April 2020 in the U.S. (trend indicator)
04
71% of U.S. teens say they want help with stress and anxiety (survey metric)
05
1.2 million youth received school-based counseling in 2018–2019 (U.S. volume estimate)
06
From 2019 to 2022, tele-mental-health visit volume rose by 64% in the U.S. (trend indicator; RAND analysis).
07
In 2024, U.S. payers increased authorization rates for virtual behavioral health visits by 15% (policy/coverage trend metric; American Medical Association analysis).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show that demand for mental health support is accelerating fast among U.S. high school age youth, with telehealth mental health visits rising 20x from March 2019 to April 2020 and total tele-mental-health visit volume growing 64% from 2019 to 2022.
02 · Category
Prevalence4 stats
01
50% of U.S. high school students reported experiencing anxiety symptoms in the past year in a 2021 CDC analysis
02
1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder each year (U.S.)
03
25% of U.S. adults have a mental illness in a given year (U.S.)
04
1.7 million U.S. youth aged 12–17 reported a major depressive episode in the past year (estimated) in 2022
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
Under the prevalence category, the data show that mental health struggles are common among young people, with 50% of U.S. high school students reporting anxiety symptoms in 2021 and 1.7 million U.S. youth aged 12 to 17 experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year in 2022.
03 · Category
Risk Factors3 stats
01
40% of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in the past year in a 2021 pooled analysis (U.S.)
02
4% of U.S. high school students reported dating violence and attempting suicide (association in a 2019 analysis)
03
38% of U.S. high school students reported that they were bullied at school or online at least once (including both types of bullying combined), per a 2019 national analysis by UNESCO/partnered survey synthesis reported by UNICEF data portal.
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
In high school students, major risk factors are already common, with 40% reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness and 38% experiencing bullying at least once, showing that the mental health challenges linked to these risk conditions are widespread.
04 · Category
Economic Impact2 stats
01
$200 billion global economic cost per year of mental disorders and substance use disorders, with 2010 WHO estimate (global economic impact)
02
8.2% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were attributable to mental disorders and substance use disorders in a 2016 WHO estimate
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
With mental disorders and substance use disorders costing the world $200 billion each year and accounting for 8.2% of global DALYs as of 2016, the economic impact on high school students is both large and sustained, reinforcing that this mental health burden is not only a health issue but also a major economic one.
05 · Category
Workforce & Spending2 stats
01
In 2021, the U.S. had a projected shortage of 2,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists to meet population need (AAMC workforce projections).
02
In 2024, 38% of districts reported a dedicated budget line item for student mental health supports (district budgeting survey; CASEL/partner).
Interpretation
Workforce & Spending Interpretation
In the Workforce & Spending lens, the U.S. projected a shortage of 2,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists in 2021 while only 38% of districts had a dedicated budget line for student mental health supports by 2024, suggesting both staffing and funding gaps remain for high school mental health needs.
06 · Category
Industry Overview3 stats
01
4% of U.S. adolescents who needed mental health services did not receive them due to wait times in 2021
02
60% of surveyed U.S. high school students in 2021 reported that they had at least one teacher they felt comfortable talking to about personal problems (school connectedness indicator).
03
21% of U.S. high school students reported that cost was a barrier to getting mental health care in the past year in the Healthy Minds Network 2022 report.
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
From an industry overview perspective, while 60% of high school students say they have at least one teacher they feel comfortable talking to, only 4% lacked care due to wait times and 21% still face cost barriers to mental health services, highlighting that access challenges are more affordability related than purely scheduling driven.
report visual · Key figures
High school mental health: needs, barriers, and support
A large share of U.S. high school students report anxiety and sadness, but fewer indicate that they can access care—highlighting both unmet needs and the importance of school-based support.
50%
50% of U.S. high school students reported experiencing anxiety symptoms in the past year in a 2021 CDC analysis
40%
40% of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in the past year in a 2021 pooled analysis (U.
21%
21% of U.S. high school students reported that cost was a barrier to getting mental health care in the past year in the
4%
4% of U.S. adolescents who needed mental health services did not receive them due to wait times in 2021
60%
60% of surveyed U.S. high school students in 2021 reported that they had at least one teacher they felt comfortable talk
71%
71% of U.S. teens say they want help with stress and anxiety (survey metric)
source-verifiedcdc.gov · jamanetwork.com · healthymindsnetwork.org · teenlife.com2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Mental Health In High School Students Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-high-school-students-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Mental Health In High School Students Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-high-school-students-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Mental Health In High School Students Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-high-school-students-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)