Chances to talk 1-on-1 with a teacher
78.4% of students agree there are opportunities. The strongest predictor of feeling supported.
School Climate & Safety
Students feel safe — but engagement slips after middle school
Most Pennsylvania students still report feeling safe at school. Commitment to school, however, drops sharply between grades 6 and 10.
267,379 students · official baseline
Commitment to school by grade
Engagement indicators by grade, 2025
Percent of students
n = 267,3792025% of students
Source: 2025 PAYS statewide
Positive school environment indicators
Part of class discussions / activities
86.5% report opportunities to participate — among the highest-scoring climate indicators statewide.
Teachers praise hard work
59.0% — the lowest of the four positive-environment items. A practical Tier 1 target.
Bullying and cyberbullying
Past-12-month rates, statewide. Bullying drops steadily by grade; cyberbullying stays relatively flat into high school.
Bullying trend, statewide
Past 12 months, all grades combined
2021 · 2023 · 2025% past 12 months
Source: 2025 PAYS statewide profile
Bullying by grade, 2025
Past 12 months
n = 267,3792025% past 12 months
Source: 2025 PAYS statewide profile
Bullying multiplies mental-health risk
Bullied students are 2.7× more likely to report 2+ weeks of sadness (45.1% vs. 16.6%) and 3.5× more likely to seriously consider suicide (29.7% vs. 8.5%). School climate work is mental-health work.
Subgroup spotlight
Bullying rates vary sharply by subgroup. These differences should shape who Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports prioritize.
LGBQ+ students
34.2%
Bullied in past 12 months vs. 16.1% of straight peers
Students with a disability
29.8%
Bullied vs. 17.4% of students without
6th-grade girls
31.5%
Highest grade-by-gender cell for in-person bullying
Subgroup cells with n < 30 are suppressed. See methodology.