Guide • Student Well-Being
The latest national data offers encouraging news about youth mental health—and a clear reminder that schools still have an important role to play.
Support should begin early. The CDC’s latest findings highlight the importance of reaching students as they enter high school, with ninth graders more likely than 11th and 12th graders to report a suicide attempt. Building trusted relationships and clear pathways to help during this transition can make support easier to access.
However, even experienced staff can struggle with where to begin. Navigate360 is here to help.
high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
of students agreed they felt safe during the school day
of high school students used social media every hour or more
What's Inside
The CDC’s 2025 survey found that fewer high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, poor mental health, seriously considering suicide, making a suicide plan, or attempting suicide than in 2023.
Even with this progress, about 1 in 3 (33%) high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, with rates higher among girls (43%). And while this measure has improved in recent years, it remains above the level reported in 2015.
From the data
Roughly 1 in 3 high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2025.
We have everything in there [and] we're able to keep track of everything that’s going on. All the students who've been referred, those that were open, those that are closed, the category levels—all of that. It is helpful having a system that maintains all of that for us.
I'm thankful that my best before and-after stories are all about well-being, not how our district handled a fire or an active shooter, because we have been fortunate to not experience such terrible events. In large part, I've been able to focus even more of my energy on the well-being side because of the burden that Navigate360 has relieved from me.
… After research and trying various programs, we have identified a program that has started to produce a tangible and measurable improvement within our school district.
Our suite of safety and student well-being solutions support schools in addressing the youth mental health crisis, providing the tools needed to effectively support students and create a safer, more supportive school environment.
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