We asked U.S. teens how common a variety of problems are among students at their school.

Anxiety and depression tops the list, with 30% of teens saying it’s extremely or very common at their school.

About one-in-five teens (22%) say bullying is extremely or very common at their school. A similar share (19%) say the same about drug use.

Some 17% of students say physical fights are highly common at their school, and 14% say alcohol use is highly common.

Girls are more likely than boys to say anxiety and depression is extremely or very common at their school (35% vs. 24%). Girls are also more likely to say the same about alcohol use (17% vs. 10%). Girls and boys are about equally likely to say the other items are common at their school.

Are problems in school more common among boys or girls?

We asked teens who say these issues are at least somewhat common at their school whether each is more common among boys or girls.

With the exception of physical fights, about half or more of these teens say the issues are equally common among boys and girls. Still, among those who see a gender difference, the scale more often tips toward boys.

More common among boys

• Among teens who say physical fights are at least somewhat common at their school, 44% say these are more common among boys. Another 15% say fights are more common among girls, and 41% say there’s not much difference.
• Among those who say drug use is common at their school, 39% say it’s more common among boys, while only 3% say it’s more common among girls; 58% say there isn’t much difference. The pattern is almost identical when it comes to perceptions of alcohol use.

More common among girls

• 39% of teens who say anxiety and depression is common at their school say it’s more common among girls. Only 5% say it’s more common among boys, and 56% say it affects both about equally. Girls are more likely than boys to say these mental health challenges are more common for girls at their school (50% vs. 28%). For their part, boys are more likely than girls to say that it’s about equal (64% vs. 49%).

Mixed views

• Teens who say bullying is common at their school are divided on whether it’s more common among boys or girls. About one-in-four (26%) say it’s more common among boys, 22% say girls and 51% say both about equally. Boys themselves lean toward the perception that bullying is more prevalent among boys, while girls are split in their views.

Do teens see gender biases in their schools?

Some of the current discussion about how men are doing in the U.S. today relative to women focuses on gender gaps in K-12 education. To explore this topic from a teen perspective, we asked teens whether they think boys or girls are doing better in school and whether they receive different treatment.

In three key areas – grades, leadership opportunities and treatment by teachers – majorities of teens say things are about equal. But those who do see a gender difference tend to think girls have advantages over boys.

• Grades: 42% of teens say girls get better grades than boys at their school. Only 3% say boys get better grades than girls; 55% say things are about equal. Girls are more likely than boys to say girls get better grades at their school (47% vs. 36%), while a higher share of boys than girls say there’s no difference (59% vs 52%).
• Leadership roles: 27% of teens say girls are more likely than boys to have leadership roles at their school; 16% say boys are more likely to have these roles. A 56% majority say boys and girls are about equally likely to have leadership roles. Girls and boys are largely in agreement about this.
• Teacher favoritism: A large majority of teens (78%) say teachers treat girls and boys about equally at their school. Among the rest, 16% say teachers favor girls and 6% say they favor boys. Boys are especially likely to say teachers favor girls (23% say this, compared with 9% of girls).

We also asked teens whether girls or boys speak up more in class, and whether they think one group is more disruptive.

• Speaking up in class: 34% of teens say girls speak up more than boys in class, while 18% say boys speak up more. About half (48%) say both speak up about equally. Girls and boys have similar views on this.
• Disrupting class: A 63% majority of teens say boys are more disruptive in class than girls. Only 4% say girls are more disruptive. About a third (32%) say it’s about the equal. Again, girls and boys largely agree on this.

When it comes to athletics, 53% of teens who have sports teams at their school say the boys’ teams are valued more than the girls’ teams. Only 2% say the girls’ teams are valued more, and 44% say the teams are valued about equally.

Boys and girls tend to agree on this, with 51% of boys and 56% of girls saying more value is placed on the boys’ teams at their school.