The share of U.S. high school students who seriously considered attempting suicide fell from 20% in 2023 to 14% in 2025, according to national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data released by the CDC on Monday. It was one of five mental health and suicide-risk measures that improved over two years, a notable shift after teen distress peaked in 2021.
For parents, the gain is real but incomplete. Fourteen percent still means roughly one in seven high school students, or about four students in a typical class of 30, seriously thought about suicide in the past year. The improvement is a reason for cautious hope, not a signal that families or schools can step back.
