KVIG Informative

Emotional intelligence is a skill set, and skills are harder to build when a student is struggling. National and Nevada data show how large the need is and what the research says about protecting students.

The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative survey of 20,103 high school students, found that 39.7 percent reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and 28.5 percent reported poor mental health. About 20.4 percent had seriously considered attempting suicide and 9.5 percent had attempted it. Persistent sadness was down from 42 percent in 2021, which CDC called an improvement, though the figure remains well above the 30 percent recorded in 2013. CDC also reported significantly higher rates among female and LGBTQ+ students.

In 2025, the survey asked about mental health services for the first time. Among students who reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, 29.6 percent said they had received counseling or therapy, which means most had not. CDC frames the gap between need and care as the central finding of that report.

What Protects Students CDC’s 2023 analysis examined protective factors at the individual, family, school, and community levels, including how connected students feel to their school and how closely parents monitor their activities. Earlier CDC guidance states that school and family connectedness have been shown to promote positive mental health and to reduce risk of violence, suicide, and substance use that can continue into adulthood. That is the research case for treating belonging as part of education, not an extra.

Stress and the Brain The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes toxic stress, meaning excessive and prolonged stress without adequate support, as capable of damaging learning, behavior, and health across the lifespan. The same research links stress to the executive function skills discussed in the previous article: the abilities to focus, hold information in mind, and regulate behavior are harder to build and use under adversity. Supportive relationships and practice build those skills, which is why emotional learning and wellbeing support work together.

Nevada’s Data Nevada runs its own Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered by the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health with the state, and the 2023 high school edition drew 5,122 students from 99 schools. The survey publishes regional, county, and rural-urban breakdowns for select topics, so families in Clark County can look up local results rather than relying on national averages. Mental Health America’s annual rankings, as reported in state coverage, have placed Nevada last in the nation for youth mental health.

Who Is Available to Help The Clark County School District, with roughly 305,000 students, had about 185 school psychologists, 700 school counselors, and 195 social workers, according to a state health department report to a legislative committee. The National Association of School Psychologists recommends one psychologist per 500 students. A local report put CCSD at about one per 1,600. UNLV long operated the state’s only school psychology training program, and Nevada State University has now started its own, which supporters say will help narrow the gap over time.

The connection between this piece and the rest of the series is practical. Emotional intelligence programs, arts integration, and STEAM learning all depend on students who feel safe enough, connected enough, and supported enough to use them. Wellbeing is not separate from the educational mission. It is the ground the rest of it grows on.

This is a sensitive subject. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, at any hour.