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Life for Minnesota students these days isn’t perfect, but it’s massively better than just a few years ago when the state sat in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students responding to this year’s Minnesota Student Survey reported experiencing less bullying and substance use this year compared to 2022.
They also reported better mental health, healthy eating and closer connections to schools and families. The percentage of 11th grade students who said they were considering suicide fell to its lowest in more than a decade.
“Though students continue to struggle with mental health, the current survey shows some positive trends and reversals” in healthy living and well-being, Minnesota Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham said in a statement Tuesday as the 2025 survey results were released.
It’s a turnaround from three years ago when nearly one-third of students reported long-term mental health struggles in the pandemic — findings officials described then as a “crisis.”
In 2022 more than half of 11th grade students surveyed in Minnesota reported feeling “down, depressed or hopeless” at least several days over a two week period. This year, that percentage was down to 40.5 percent of 11th grade students.
Similar trends were found among students in grades 5, 8 and 9, all of whom were significantly less likely to report feeling worried or sad this year as compared to 2022.
Students in 2025 were also more likely than in 2022 to say they felt safe at school, connected to their families and teachers, eating fruits and vegetables and participating in out-of-school activities. They were less likely to report mental health issues, substance abuse or experiences with bullying.
Minnesota officials said the results showed a need to continue investing in public education and health measures.
“When students feel safe, supported and nourished, they are more engaged and ready to learn,” Education Commissioner Willie Jett said in a statement.
Cunningham said the survey results showed “the importance of supporting Minnesota families to secure basic needs, such as food and health care and address the root causes and adverse effects of incarceration, homelessness and substance misuse."
The survey queried more than 119,000 students in grades 5, 8, 9 and 11 in early 2025.
Some results remain unchanged compared to 2022. Students in 11th grade were just as likely this year to report experiencing sexually, emotionally or physically abusive or controlling experiences in their relationships this year as they were three years ago.
Surveyors this year also expanded the questions asked of students, including inquiries about technology use and gun violence.
Results show that six percent of Minnesota high school students had witnessed people using guns to threaten or hurt someone.
Ninety percent of students surveyed said they used social media every day, with many noting social media use made it more difficult for them to complete homework, chores or other responsibilities.
More than half of high school students said screen time infringed on their sleep, with one in five saying they used screens between midnight and 5 a.m. on school nights.
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