A survey among Minnesota students shows school safety is top of mind.
This year's Minnesota Student Survey was the first to ask students about gun violence, with 6% of high school students responding that they've witnessed people use guns to threaten or hurt someone.
"This is a new question in 2025, so we don't have previous data that we can compare it to, to say whether this is something that's going up or down. But it is a concern," says Mark Lee with the Minnesota Department of Health.
Lee says while 6% is a sizeable proportion of the state's student body, there is good news when it comes to overall school safety.
"Upwards of 90% of students report feeling safe at school," he adds. "And so schools are, by and large I think, doing a good job at responding to the circumstances that they are in, and helping students to feel safe and secure when they come to learn."
Lee says districts use this data to support students.
"This is also something that schools and districts can use as they're writing grants or other things like that, to sort of try to put some numbers and quantify some of the issues that they may know are going on," he explains. "But this gives them something to hang on to, that they can then convince other people to help support them."
Students in 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th graders were asked the questions about gun violence.
Lee says the study three years ago also showed a spike in students reporting they were depressed.
"As high as two-thirds of 11th grade students reporting that they had little interest or pleasure in doing things," he said. "Which is one of our key depression screener type metrics, and that came down a full 10 percentage points in the 2025 survey, down to 54%."
“Though students continue to struggle with mental health, the current survey shows some positive trends and reversals toward improved wellbeing and healthier behaviors that are encouraging to see,” added Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. “We can build on this momentum by continuing to foster safe environments that make young people feel included, engaged and like they belong. In the survey, about 40% of students reported one or more adverse childhood experiences, which highlights 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.”
Students reported other positive behaviors related to school and afterschool programs:
_ An increase in overall educational engagement.
- An increase in students reporting they believe their teachers and others in their lives care about them.
- An increase in reporting that an adult in school helped connect them with post-secondary career and educational opportunities.
- A decrease in missing school because of anxiety, not feeling safe, being bored or not interested in school, and other reasons.
Students reported other positive behaviors related to health:
- An increase in improved general health.
- An increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.
- A decrease in substance use, including tobacco, alcohol and cannabis.
- A decrease in sexual activity.
Students reported positive experiences related to safety:
- An increase in high school students feeling safe at school.
- A decrease in cyberbullying.
- A decrease in students reporting at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE).
For the first time, the survey asked about technologies, like social media and screen time, that may have an effect on student health and learning.
Social media: About 90% of high school students reported using social media every day, and many noted it can be problematic. Of 11th graders who use social media, about 4 out of 10 students say they may have a problem with spending too much time on social media, and many believe it’s contributing to them having trouble getting homework, chores or other major responsibilities done.
Screen time: Students report screen time infringing on their sleep. More than half of high school students reported using technology between midnight and 5 a.m. on a school night at least once per week, and nearly one in five reported using technology during those hours every school night.