Bullying, substance abuse reduced, student survey says
By GRETA SHUSTER
Beacon Media Staff Writer
This story was originally published in the Warwick Beacon, a publication partner of Ocean State Stories.
Middle and high school students across the state are showing improvements in their behavior and well-being, according to this year’s Rhode Island Student Survey.
The survey, conducted every two years by the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals, was taken this past spring by more than 16,000 students in 24 school districts, including Warwick Public Schools.
Each grade at a school must have at least 60% of its students complete the survey in order to be included in the final report. The 85-question survey, which is offered in Spanish and English, aims to examine the prevalence of substance use, bullying, depression, gambling and cell phone use in the state’s secondary schools.
This year’s results show fewer students engaged in risky behaviors compared to 2024.
For example, the number of high school students who reported to have ever consumed an alcoholic beverage decreased from 25% in 2024 to 20% in 2026. Similarly, 14% of high schoolers reported ever smoking or vaping marijuana this year compared to 18% in 2024.
The percentage of students reported to have consumed alcohol before the age of 16 decreased from 19% in 2024 to 14%.
“These are positive trends, precisely the kinds of trends we want to see — improved indicators of student wellbeing, fewer students engaging in risky and harmful behaviors, and greater student awareness of the dangers,” said Richard Leclerc, BDDH director, who credits prevention efforts with the positive change.
In Warwick schools, there is a proactive prevention approach to student wellbeing embedded into the health curriculum and the district’s overall “Vision of a Graduate,” according to Director of Secondary Schools Timothy Kane.
“It is our belief that this proactive education, combined with strong policies and the multiple levels of support available to our students, has opened critical channels of communication and driven this meaningful progress,” said Kane in a statement.
Kane explained that in the classroom, middle and high school students engage in “evidence-based lessons” to help build refusal skills and understand the risks associated with alcohol and drug use. Beyond the classroom, the district works with community partners, administrators, guidance counselors, social workers and others to foster a safe and supportive environment in the schools.
The survey results also showed that rates of cyberbullying among secondary students have significantly decreased to pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 15% of middle schoolers reported they had used a cellphone to send texts or pictures that might hurt another student in the past three months. That figure dropped to 9% this year.
However, although the data showed improvement, 46% of middle school students still reported they had been made fun of in the past three months, and 31% reported they’d heard mean rumors or lies about them at school.
Bullying trends showed more prevalence in middle schools than high schools.
While this year’s results of the student survey displayed positive trends for school districts statewide, there is still room for improvement.
“We have to continue reaching out to our youth and families to help them understand the dangers, and we need to advocate for prevention services and programs that will keep our youth safer,” said Thomas Martin, Director of BHDDH’s Division of Behavioral Healthcare in the release.
The full report is available online at https://seow.ri.gov/our-work/rhode-island-student-survey.
