Prevention professionals
Translate statewide findings into your SPF needs assessment.
2025 Statewide Release · Executive Summary
2025 PA Youth Survey Explorer
A plain-language guide to the 2025 PAYS statewide findings — built for prevention professionals, county coalitions, educators, policymakers, and funders to move from data to decisions.
At a glance
Snapshot of the 2025 statewide administration of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey.
Valid student surveys
267,379
Grades 6, 8, 10, 12 · Fall 2025
Participating schools
1,064
of 1,981 eligible (74.4% participation rate)
Past-30-day vaping
6.3%
▼ 1.6 ptslower
vs. 7.9% in 2023
Felt sad/depressed most days
32.8%
▼ 4.5 ptslower
vs. 37.3% in 2023
Who this site is for
Each audience has a different entry point — pick the path that fits your role.
County coalitions
Run a community conversation, prioritize, and plan with shared templates.
Educators & school teams
Use climate and safety data to strengthen Tier 1 supports.
Policymakers & funders
Get the headline numbers and the populations most affected.
What changed in 2025
Three statewide signals worth bringing to your next coalition meeting.
Past-30-day substance use, statewide trend
Share of students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 combined
Source: 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, State of Pennsylvania Profile Report
Substance use continues to decline
Past-30-day alcohol (9.1%), nicotine vaping (6.3%), and cannabis use (4.3%) all reached new statewide lows in 2025.
Mental health needs remain elevated
32.8% of students felt depressed or sad most days in the past year; 13.9% seriously considered suicide and 4.5% attempted.
New in 2025: screen time and gambling items
Six new screen-time questions and expanded gambling items give coalitions new prevention levers — 36.3% of students log 4+ hours of non-school screen time per day.
About the 2025 administration
Who participated
267,379 public-school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. Participation is voluntary and anonymous.
Where
1,064 participating schools statewide, sponsored by PCCD, DDAP, and PDE.
When
Administered fall 2025. Statewide profile report released spring 2026.
What's measured
Substance use, mental health, school climate, gambling, screen time, and 30+ risk & protective factors.