In 2023, 0.7% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender. Yet 44% of transgender youth said they avoid school at least sometimes because of safety concerns, and 12% reported being denied restroom access because of their gender identity. The data also tracks how policy limits and guidelines affect everyday access to support for transgender children.
Key Takeaways
- 0.7% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2023 (YRBSS 2021–2023 results; prevalence based on self-report).
- 1.4% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2019 (YRBSS 2019; self-reported identity).
- 44% of transgender youth reported avoiding school at least sometimes due to safety concerns (National Survey; self-report).
- 12% of transgender youth reported being denied restroom access due to their gender identity (U.S. national survey; self-report).
- 27 states had restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors involving insurance coverage and/or provider eligibility by 2024 (NCSL tracker counts).
- 48 states had policies allowing some form of sex-segregated spaces in schools and/or athletics that can affect transgender students’ participation (varies by state; NCSL education policy tracker context).
- 22% of U.S. school districts reported that they restrict transgender students’ participation in athletics in ways that affect eligibility (district survey-based estimate; from national survey report).
- The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement (2018) supports access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, including puberty blockers in carefully selected cases (AAP clinical policy position statement).
- The Endocrine Society 2017 guideline recommends puberty suppression for transgender adolescents who meet specific diagnostic criteria and have substantial puberty-related dysphoria (clinical guideline recommendation).
- The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care Version 8 (2022) are the basis for multidisciplinary care and emphasize individualized, developmentally appropriate assessment for youth (SOC8 scope and framework).
- GLAAD’s 2023 survey found 45% of respondents support gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors (survey-based).
- In a systematic review, puberty blockers were associated with improved psychosocial functioning in many studies, with effect sizes varying by outcome; the review reports multiple studies showing reduced dysphoria-related distress (systematic review synthesis).
- A 2020 narrative review concluded that evidence on puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormones shows improved psychological outcomes (e.g., reduced dysphoria) in available studies, while emphasizing the limitations of observational designs (review synthesis).
- A 2021 cohort study in JAMA Pediatrics found that adolescents receiving gender-affirming puberty suppression had lower rates of depressive symptoms relative to trajectories without suppression (study outcome reported with quantitative comparisons).
- In the 2017–2019 National Health Interview Survey analysis, 9.0% of transgender adults reported not receiving needed care due to cost (survey-based; not youth-specific).
About 0.7% of U.S. high school students are transgender, with many reporting safety issues at school.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence3 stats
01
0.7% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2023 (YRBSS 2021–2023 results; prevalence based on self-report).
02
1.4% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2019 (YRBSS 2019; self-reported identity).
03
44% of transgender youth reported avoiding school at least sometimes due to safety concerns (National Survey; self-report).
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
From the prevalence angle, the share of U.S. high school students who reported being transgender rose from 1.4% in 2019 to 0.7% in 2023 based on self-report, and among transgender youth 44% said they sometimes avoid school due to safety concerns, underscoring that even when prevalence varies, its impact is widely felt.
02 · Category
Health Outcomes1 stats
01
12% of transgender youth reported being denied restroom access due to their gender identity (U.S. national survey; self-report).
Interpretation
Health Outcomes Interpretation
In health outcomes, 12% of transgender youth said they were denied restroom access because of their gender identity, showing that discrimination in everyday facilities can directly affect transgender youths’ wellbeing.
03 · Category
Policy & Regulation4 stats
01
27 states had restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors involving insurance coverage and/or provider eligibility by 2024 (NCSL tracker counts).
02
48 states had policies allowing some form of sex-segregated spaces in schools and/or athletics that can affect transgender students’ participation (varies by state; NCSL education policy tracker context).
03
22% of U.S. school districts reported that they restrict transgender students’ participation in athletics in ways that affect eligibility (district survey-based estimate; from national survey report).
04
62% of pediatricians responding to the 2023 survey believed that providing evidence-based gender-affirming care is beneficial for some transgender youth (survey-based).
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
As of 2024, policy and regulation are shaping transgender minors’ lives at scale, with 27 states restricting gender-affirming care for minors and 22% of school districts limiting transgender students’ athletics eligibility.
04 · Category
Guidelines & Care Pathways3 stats
01
The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement (2018) supports access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, including puberty blockers in carefully selected cases (AAP clinical policy position statement).
02
The Endocrine Society 2017 guideline recommends puberty suppression for transgender adolescents who meet specific diagnostic criteria and have substantial puberty-related dysphoria (clinical guideline recommendation).
03
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care Version 8 (2022) are the basis for multidisciplinary care and emphasize individualized, developmentally appropriate assessment for youth (SOC8 scope and framework).
Interpretation
Guidelines & Care Pathways Interpretation
Across major Guidelines and Care Pathways sources, from the 2017 Endocrine Society recommendation for puberty suppression with specific criteria to the 2022 WPATH Standards of Care Version 8 used to shape multidisciplinary care, and supported by the 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics policy, there is a clear trend toward structured, evidence based pathways for gender affirming treatment for transgender youth rather than ad hoc decisions.
05 · Category
Societal Attitudes1 stats
01
GLAAD’s 2023 survey found 45% of respondents support gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors (survey-based).
Interpretation
Societal Attitudes Interpretation
Societal attitudes toward transgender children appear increasingly supportive, with 45% of GLAAD’s 2023 survey respondents backing gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
More related reading
06 · Category
Clinical Evidence5 stats
01
In a systematic review, puberty blockers were associated with improved psychosocial functioning in many studies, with effect sizes varying by outcome; the review reports multiple studies showing reduced dysphoria-related distress (systematic review synthesis).
02
A 2020 narrative review concluded that evidence on puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormones shows improved psychological outcomes (e.g., reduced dysphoria) in available studies, while emphasizing the limitations of observational designs (review synthesis).
03
A 2021 cohort study in JAMA Pediatrics found that adolescents receiving gender-affirming puberty suppression had lower rates of depressive symptoms relative to trajectories without suppression (study outcome reported with quantitative comparisons).
04
A 2023 study in Pediatrics reported that youth who received gender-affirming care had significantly better psychosocial outcomes over follow-up compared with those who did not receive such care (comparative quantitative outcomes).
05
A 2019 systematic review reported that mental health outcomes among transgender youth are strongly associated with stigma, discrimination, and family acceptance (meta-synthesis with quantitative subgroup results).
Interpretation
Clinical Evidence Interpretation
Across multiple Clinical Evidence sources, studies report improved psychosocial or psychological outcomes for transgender youth receiving puberty blockers or gender-affirming care, including a 2021 JAMA Pediatrics cohort showing lower rates of depressive symptoms and a 2019 systematic review linking mental health outcomes strongly to stigma and discrimination.
07 · Category
Access & Utilization2 stats
01
In the 2017–2019 National Health Interview Survey analysis, 9.0% of transgender adults reported not receiving needed care due to cost (survey-based; not youth-specific).
02
A 2021 survey by The Trevor Project found 40% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year (youth baseline measure, includes transgender).
Interpretation
Access & Utilization Interpretation
From an access and utilization perspective, 9.0% of transgender adults reported forgoing needed care because of cost and the Trevor Project found 40% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, pointing to major barriers in obtaining support and care.
08 · Category
Homelessness & Risk1 stats
01
CDC reports 3.1 million children and teens experienced child maltreatment in the U.S. in 2021 (not transgender-specific, but a baseline for childhood risk environments).
Interpretation
Homelessness & Risk Interpretation
In 2021, the CDC reported 3.1 million children and teens experienced child maltreatment in the U.S., underscoring how widespread family risk can feed into homelessness and vulnerability for transgender children even when the figures are not transgender-specific.
09 · Category
Digital Access & Services2 stats
01
In 2022, 6.2% of households with children reported not having a computer or tablet available (baseline).
02
U.S. telehealth usage increased sharply during COVID-19; by 2021, 28.7% of adults who used healthcare reported using telehealth in the past year (not transgender-specific, but relevant service modality).
Interpretation
Digital Access & Services Interpretation
In the Digital Access & Services space, 6.2% of households with children still lacked a computer or tablet in 2022, and as telehealth adoption rose to 28.7% by 2021, that gap could affect who benefits from increasingly tech based healthcare.
report visual · Key figures
Transgender identity prevalence among U.S. high school students
Prevalence based on self-report is shown across multiple survey years.
1.4%
1.4% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2019 (YRBSS 2019; self-reported identity).
0.7%
0.7% of U.S. high school students reported being transgender in 2023 (YRBSS 2021–2023 results; prevalence based on self-
44%
44% of transgender youth reported avoiding school at least sometimes due to safety concerns (National Survey; self-repor
source-verifiedcdc.gov · jamanetwork.com2023
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
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Transgender Children Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/transgender-children-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Transgender Children Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/transgender-children-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Transgender Children Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/transgender-children-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)