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The results of the 2023 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey were presented to the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Committee on Tuesday, December 10.
In a bit of good news, use of vaping devices has taken a hit since the last survey. In 2023, 21% of students reported having used a vape product in their lifetime. That was down from 42% in 2018.
In addition, several mental health indicators improved over prior survey results:

However, lifetime usage of alcohol and marijuana were significantly higher at Lincoln-Sudbury than all students that participated in the survey. Lincoln-Sudbury students reported higher levels of alcohol and marijuana use, and reported binge drinking in the last month (at the time of the survey) was up to 22% from 17% in 2012.
Reported race or ethnicity-based bullying in the last year increased to 15% in 2023, up from 10% in 2021.

There was an alarming increase in reported attempted suicides in the last year – 4% reported attempting suicide in the last year compared to 3% in 2018. The presenter noted that this equated to 55 students. (1:37:45)

Ensuing discussion among the committee members was somber. The presentation included a massive list of initiatives the high school has launched in recent years to respond to issues unearthed by the survey, but the trend lines in several areas continue to be cause for concern.

Chair Ravi Simon summed up the overall sentiment in the meeting towards the end of the discussion:
“I think after this I feel less optimistic about, sort of, the trajectory of the student body’s mental health. Which I think is in spite of the great work you guys are doing, not because of anything that you guys are doing. But some of the statistics, especially around the suicide statistic, is extremely sobering.”
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