Wakefield presents 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey; mental-health indicators improving, gaps remain for LGBTQ+ students

Wakefield Public Schools officials presented results from the April 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to the School Committee on Oct. 14, reporting districtwide improvements in several mental-health indicators while urging follow‑up listening sessions to explore disparities by subpopulation.

The survey, administered to seventh through 12th graders, produced a 58% response rate at Wakefield Memorial High School and 66% at Galvin Middle School, the district said. The evaluator, JSI Inc., cautioned that response rates under roughly 60% reduce the certainty that results represent the full student population, the presenters told the committee.

The YRBS tracks risk factors such as substance use, mental health and safety, and protective factors including trusted adults, sleep and physical activity. "The YRBS helps identify community strengths and gaps," Liz Parsons, Wakefield’s prevention and human-services coordinator, said during the presentation.

Key findings cited by Parsons and district counselors include: - School connectedness increased across the district; no significant differences were found by subpopulation for that measure. Officials said having at least one adult at school students can talk to is rising. - Indicators of poor mental health at the high school have declined since a peak in 2021: reports of depression,…