鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think most of my classes that I took in high school I have in my brain anymore,鈥� she told researchers who authored the , an annual report conducted by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation about Gen-Z鈥檚 attitude toward school and life after high school.

What stuck with her, however, were the teachers that 鈥渕ade an impact,鈥� and who she maintains relationships with years later. 

Her response mirrors the feelings of many of the students in her age group 鈥� one of thousands of Gen-Z students and young adults who were recently polled by Gallup in late May and early June of this year.

The poll included nearly 3,200 people between the ages of 14 and 29, with more than 1,700 of respondents currently enrolled in middle or high school.  

The survey found student engagement, enjoyment toward school and hopefulness for the future strongly correlated with a child鈥檚 relationship with their teachers and whether they felt they belonged at school.

But, 鈥渦nfortunately, we found that in that respect,鈥� said Zach Hrynowski, a senior educator researcher at Gallup, 鈥渢here are a lot of students who are reporting that they don鈥檛 have that experience.鈥欌��

Since 2023, engagement has steadily increased, with 51% of Gen-Z students likely to agree or strongly agree that school allows them to do their best, a 14 percentage point increase over the last four years. Students in 2026 are 10 percentage points more likely to feel challenged by schoolwork (from 50% in 2023 to 60%) and six points (57% vs 63%) more likely to say teachers communicate the importance of what they鈥檙e learning. 

But even with several engagement trends upward, there was no 鈥渕eaningful change in the percentage of students who agree they have learned something interesting in the past week,鈥� the report said.

While the majority of students reported positive school experiences, including reports of having good relationships with teachers, a large number of kids are still being left behind 鈥� with 40% of students saying their classwork is not interesting and that they did not agree that they feel prepared for the future.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 findings reiterate that many students continue to struggle with their enjoyment of and engagement at school,鈥� the report said. 鈥淔or these students, the problem is not that some of their courses are tedious or irrelevant to their future; rather, they say that nothing at school interests them, and they struggle to find outlets to do what they are naturally good at.鈥�

Forty-eight percent of students said they didn鈥檛 enjoy going to school most or all days and nearly half of Gen-Z students (49%) said school doesn鈥檛 鈥渁llow them to do what they do best every day鈥� 鈥� which is an improvement from 63% in survey results in 2023, the report said, but still high. 

Researchers found student engagement was connected to 鈥渟everal larger outcomes,鈥� including reporting higher satisfaction with their quality of life and what鈥檚 to come in the future. Gen-Z students who felt more connected at school were five times more likely to look forward to school most days and feel prepared for the future compared to their peers who reported a lack of belonging.

This year’s survey further explored the teacher-student relationship and its impact deeper than previous reports  鈥� asking students about whether teachers knew about their interests, whether their classwork was tailored to their strengths, and 鈥渁t the most basic level, if you鈥檙e having a bad day in the classroom, do you have a teacher who would recognize that and check in on you?鈥� Hrynowski said.

鈥淲e knew from previous reports that what was happening in the classroom obviously is really important, and whether students feel interested and engaged in what they’re learning,鈥� he added. 鈥淲hat we also found this year, 鈥� [was] the statistical connection between the relationship that students have with their teachers and the extent they鈥檙e engaged in the classroom.鈥�

And many Gen-Z students reported struggling with building connections with the people around them.

About three in 10 said they didn鈥檛 belong at school, didn鈥檛 have an adult who regularly checked in on them and didn’t feel like they had someone at school who understood their interests or strengths. The gap also extended to peer relationships, with just 30% of children reporting they had things in common with most of their classmates, and even less (26%) saying they trusted most of their classmates.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 feel like you belong in a classroom, you don鈥檛 feel comfortable speaking up, you don鈥檛 chat with your friends about something that you learned that was interesting to you, 鈥� then you鈥檙e really missing a critical aspect of the school experience,鈥� Hrynowski said.

Students who lack connection with their peers, educators and school work 鈥渁re notably less likely to feel prepared for their postgraduation future,鈥� the report said.

鈥淥ptimism about the future doesn’t always translate into preparedness. While 80% of Gen Z K-12 students say they have a great future ahead of them, only six in 10 feel prepared for it,鈥� the report found, adding that while the results from 2026 are a 17% increase from 2023, the gap continues to 鈥渨idens sharply along engagement lines.鈥�

Children who reported not having plans to go to college also had 鈥渟ignificantly fewer engaging experiences鈥� compared to their peers to plan to pursue a two or four year degree, the report said.

For kids pursuing higher education, 67% reported their teacher made classwork feel important, compared to only 56% of students who said they do not want to go to college. College-bound students were also at least 10 percentage points more likely to feel they belonged at school, feel as if they had an adult who recognized their talents and also felt encouraged to pursue their goals compared to their peers who did not plan to pursue higher education.

鈥淪ometimes when I bring [these] numbers up, folks say 鈥楾hat鈥檚 just the way school is. Some kids don鈥檛 belong. Some kids don鈥檛 feel like they fit in. 鈥� Some kids are good at school and some aren鈥檛. Some kids enjoy school and some don鈥檛, that鈥檚 just the way it is,鈥� 鈥� and I came at this report rejecting that notion,鈥� Hrynowski said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the way it is, but it definitely isn鈥檛 how it has to be.鈥�

He argued the student responses point to what kids need, what they鈥檙e asking for and what works for them, and that it鈥檚 up for districts and states to take the next steps to meet students where they are.

鈥淚 think the recipe is there. The roadmap is clear. If we want more students to be having [better] experiences, it starts with the teacher,鈥� Hrynowski said. 鈥淭he next question is: What do we need to do to help more teachers do that work? 鈥� How do we get more teachers doing the things that only teachers can do that reaches students, cultivates their interest, helps them feel balanced in a positive way and see why what they’re doing in the classroom today is relevant to something they want to do outside of it?鈥�

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to 社区黑料.

Teachers are most likely to report a shortage of 鈥減eople resources,鈥� with two-thirds saying they don鈥檛 have enough teaching assistants, aides or paraprofessionals. 

This 鈥渉as a huge impact in the classroom in what teachers are able to do,鈥� said Andrea Malek Ash, a senior research consultant at Gallup who led the survey.

Ash stressed that even as teachers struggle to access fundamental resources, they still expressed a desire to improve their practices through professional growth opportunities.

鈥淪o it’s like this hierarchy of needs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭eachers really have to come at it right now from both ways: They’re trying to improve themselves, and they’re still dealing with not having enough furniture. That’s something that really stood out to me.鈥�

A dearth in resources has long plagued educators, with as many as having to reach into their own pockets to buy materials for their students and many relying on to solicit help from private donors. According to the amount teachers spent climbed during the pandemic, according to , though schools were also able to spend emergency COVID funding on supplies and furniture. And this year, a typical assortment of back-to-school supplies will cost an average of , at least partially due to the Trump administration鈥檚 tariff policies.

School staffing, too, has remained a persistent challenge for public schools: as of June 2025, an estimated positions were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments. Yet, the number of educators nationally saw a steady increase between potentially due to the emergency relief funding. With that money sunsetting just over a year ago, it鈥檚 not yet clear what impact that might have on combatting ongoing shortages.

Teachers reported that professional growth opportunities and materials are two of the most important factors when it comes to job satisfaction: 77% of teachers who have adequate resources report being satisfied at work, versus 44% of those who do not.

Gallup surveyed thousands of teachers from the RAND American Teacher Panel over the course of one school year: 1,989 teachers were surveyed between October and November 2024; 2,046 in January 2025; and 2,167 between April and May 2025. 

The report is part of a led by Gallup and the to study Gen Z and youth perspectives, especially as they relate to education. Since teachers play such a large role in a student鈥檚 engagement and success in the classroom, researchers said it was important to learn about their needs as well and will gather their views over the next few years.

Across the country, teachers overwhelmingly reported a shortage of school-based staff: almost two-thirds said their school didn鈥檛 have enough teaching assistants, aides, paraprofessionals or behavior intervention specialists and 62% said they didn鈥檛 have enough mental health resources or special educators.

Jessica Saum is a special education coordinator, former special education teacher and the In her current role, she works to ensure students鈥� receive the special education services they need and supports educators in various K-12 settings. Saum said she sees these shortages reflected in classrooms across her district 鈥� especially among paraprofessionals.

鈥淭he paras are typically doing some of the hardest parts of those jobs with the least amount of education and training,鈥� she said, leading some to decide not to go into teaching or leave their jobs altogether. 

A shortage of paraprofessionals makes the general education teacher鈥檚 job 鈥渕uch harder,鈥� Saum said. 鈥淎s a special educator, I depended on my para educators to complete that classroom support. I needed them to be able to help me meet the needs of all the students.”

While 72% of teachers either agreed or strongly agreed that they had the equipment needed to teach effectively, 24% said they didn鈥檛 have enough classroom furniture, 25% didn鈥檛 have enough laptops or classroom computers and 35% didn鈥檛 have adequate printing supplies. Funding is likely one barrier to access, said Ash, but bureaucracy appears to be another: 1 in 3 teachers said the process they need to go through to order materials is 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat difficult.鈥�

Even if school leaders don’t immediately have the budget to buy requested materials, Ash said, just being aware of teachers鈥� needs and making the acquisition process easier creates a better experience for educators.

Some of these trends held true across schools, regardless of family income. For example, teachers who work in wealthier schools 鈥� where less than a quarter of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch 鈥� were just about as likely (23%) to report not having enough classroom furniture as those who work in a school where up to 100% of students qualify (25%).

And teachers in these wealthier schools were actually more likely (68% vs. 64%) to report a shortage of teaching assistants or paraprofessionals, according to additional data from the study provided to 社区黑料 by Gallup.

Yet, when it came to technology, that flipped. Teachers in low-income schools were significantly more likely to report not having enough laptops (34% vs. 18%) or printing resources (43% vs. 28%).

The survey also found that about half of teachers say their professional development is not grounded in students鈥� needs or learning. They cite collaborative planning as the most valuable kind of development and 43% report observing other teachers as the most worthwhile activity 鈥� though just 1 in 3 teachers say they get that opportunity.

鈥淪o the most beneficial ones were the ones that we鈥檙e also missing,鈥� said Ash.

The Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to 社区黑料.

Mathematics has long been a challenge for U.S. students 鈥� they have made only modest gains in the subject during the past 鈥斅燼nd have yet to recover from the pandemic. Scores have remained largely flat, and where gains have occurred, it’s been predominantly for high achievers.

Recent studies show math competency is critical for adult success: the subject has an even greater impact on earnings than reading. and across the country 鈥� alongside philanthropic heavy hitters 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;补谤别 to boost student performance in the subject. 

鈥淚n terms of a change on the K-12 level, I think it鈥檚 fair to say that the changes we should consider are not just about more math 鈥� we know U.S. adults believe it to be important and say it should be prioritized 鈥� they鈥檙e also about more impactful math that is relevant to students鈥� needs,鈥� said Andrea Malek Ash, senior research consultant at Gallup. 

Gallup respondents listed financial math skills, data science, software and programming as the most desired out of a list of 30 math topics. The organization surveyed two groups in December 2024: 5,136 U.S. adults ages 18 and older 鈥� including 808 parents of children enrolled in K-12 鈥� and 2,831 managers.

It found nearly all U.S. adults surveyed see math as important in their lives: 55% said such skills are very important in their work life while 40% said they are somewhat important. 

Sixty-three percent said math skills are very important in their personal life while 33% called them somewhat important. 

Financial math, including personal finance, budgeting and accounting, ranked among the most desired skills regardless of gender, race and ethnicity or educational background.

Among the 16% of Americans who describe high school math as 鈥渘ot at all鈥� important or 鈥渘ot too important鈥�, 81% say they held this view because high school math is more advanced than what is needed for the real world, among other reasons.

The survey found, too, that older Americans are more likely to value math than younger ones: 75% of those 65 and older said it is very important for most adults in their personal life, compared with 37% of those ages 18 to 24, Gallup found. The same held true for work life.

Asked to compare math with other topics in school, 6 in 10 U.S. adults said it should either have a 鈥渉igher priority鈥� or have 鈥渢he very highest priority鈥� in learning. 

Gallup, with support from the Gates Foundation, reports that managers noted a lack of skills in this area among their employees: 85% said they wish their direct reports had more math skills in at least one area, citing financial math as their top concern. 

Nearly 6 in 10 managers say that in the next five years it鈥檚 very or somewhat likely that they will need to hire more people with data science skills. 

The public seems to feel the same: speaking of the workforce generally vs. their own lives, 61% of respondents said math skills are 鈥渧ery important鈥� in the workforce. While reading, language and technology skills ranked higher 鈥� at least 68% found each to be very important 鈥� math outranked leadership skills. 

Not surprisingly, Americans report having 鈥渃omplex emotions toward math,鈥� according to Gallup: 60% said it makes them feel challenged, while 24% said they were confused by the subject. Just 1 in 5 said they were excited by math. 

The survey鈥檚 results reflect this tension, said Justin Lall, principal for global analytics at Gallup. 

鈥淎mericans can overwhelmingly feel that math is challenging, but demand more of it,鈥� Lall said. 鈥淚t bucks the narrative that we鈥檝e had that math is not for everyone.鈥�

Parents鈥� anxiety about their own math skills plays a profound role in their child鈥檚 experience. Gallup found this is acted out in practical terms at the kitchen table: Parents with positive feelings toward math are nearly twice as likely as those with negative feelings to express confidence in their ability to help their children with math homework. 

Survey responses varied based on gender, race and educational attainment: 54% of men and 42% of women have exclusively positive feelings toward math while 46% of Black respondents and half of white adults said they have only positive feelings toward the subject. 

Just 37% of Hispanics said the same as did 53% of those with a bachelor鈥檚 degree and 44% of those without a college diploma.

The Gates Foundation sponsored the Math Matters Study The Value of Math in Work and Life and provides financial support to 社区黑料.

Nearly half of 1,471 education leaders who responded to the analytics company鈥檚 December query reported that the task was “very challenging” and far worse than finding strong English language or social studies applicants.

鈥淭he pool of certified math teachers is small, and the demand is high, particularly for candidates who are ready to support student learning from day one,鈥� said Nicole Paxton, assistant principal and athletic director of Mountain Vista Community School in Colorado Springs. 鈥淚n our district, we鈥檝e experienced a growing number of math openings with only a handful of candidates to consider 鈥� many of whom are international applicants requiring sponsorship or visas.鈥�

Another lends insight into a possible reason why: Only 1 in 8 elementary teacher preparation programs nationwide devote adequate time to teaching fundamental math content topics, including numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, geometry and measurement 鈥� plus data analysis and probability. 

The National Council on Teacher Quality, which released the teacher preparation study April 8, found 鈥嬧�媡he average undergraduate program dedicates 85 hours of instructional time to foundational math content knowledge 鈥� 20 hours short of what the organization recommends. 

Graduate programs devote even less time to the topic 鈥� 14 hours total 鈥� with only 5% meeting or approaching the minimum recommendation of 150 hours. The council said 22% of undergraduate programs earned an 鈥淔鈥� for their performance in this area: More than 80% of graduate level programs also earned this failing grade. 

鈥淭eachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer,鈥� Heather Peske, the organization鈥檚 president, said in a statement. 鈥淭hey need to know why those steps work. It鈥檚 like the difference between a basketball player and a coach. The player can learn their role and follow directions, but the coach needs to understand the bigger picture, the why behind every move.鈥�

Michael Rubin, principal of Uxbridge High School in Massachusetts, roughly 60 miles southwest of Boston, said finding high-quality teachers of any subject is difficult, particularly in math and science.  

鈥淲hen we deal with even more advanced levels of mathematics, with highly specialized content, the number of educators is even more limited,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y father was a math teacher for 39 years, and not a year has gone by since he retired nine years ago where a principal has not reached out and asked him if he is willing or able to come in to teach, tutor or substitute.鈥�

Indeed, Gallup poll responders said the problem was even more acute in later grades where the math curriculum gets harder: 64% of principals said this was 鈥渧ery challenging鈥� at the high school level versus 56% at the middle school and 23% at the elementary level.

The struggle can also be seen in lower-income and rural communities, like Sheridan County School District #3 in Clearmont, Wyoming, which enrolls just 83 students K-12. Chase Christensen, who serves as both superintendent and district principal, said staff are frequently asked to take on other roles.

Next fall, he said, a physical education teacher will lead advanced mathematics classes 鈥� they will focus on pre-algebra, geometry, statistics and probability 鈥� at the middle school level while he works toward earning his certification in that subject. Christensen said he鈥檚 grateful for his staff鈥檚鈥� flexibility. 

鈥淲hen we all sit down and take a hard look at what the needs of the school are, people just step up and we figure out how it is going to work,鈥� he said.  

Stephanie Marken, a senior partner at Gallup leading its U.S. custom research division, said schools鈥� trouble finding quality math instructors is particularly concerning because these teachers play a pivotal role in making this often tough subject palatable.  

鈥淚f you have a highly engaged teacher who鈥檚 really committed and qualified in that subject area, we know that it brings math education to life in a way that you just can鈥檛 do otherwise,鈥� Marken said. 

Math anxiety, the fear that students 鈥� 鈥� share about this subject further harms their opportunity and ability to succeed in it. 

鈥淲e know that a lot of students have negative emotions surrounding math and that there鈥檚 a lot of pressure that math places upon students,鈥� Marken said. 鈥淲e know that the teacher makes a big difference in breaking down math and making it feel really relevant and achievable.鈥�

Paxton, of Colorado Springs, said her district employs several strategies to manage the problem. It supports teachers on visas and those coming from alternative certification pathways through monthly meetings that focus on best practices, classroom management and cultural assimilation. 

It also works with which has, for three decades, recruited college graduates to teach in high-need schools for two years. Plus, it’s built a solid relationship with its local university鈥檚 teacher training program and has launched a 鈥済row your own鈥� pipeline to support teacher aides in earning their bachelor鈥檚 degrees, completing internships in the district and ultimately becoming licensed teachers there.

鈥淭hese layered supports and creative recruitment efforts are our response to a national challenge,鈥� Paxton said. 

Gallup鈥檚 Math Matters Study went beyond schools鈥� issues with hiring to families鈥� experience on campus: While roughly a third of the 808 parents who responded said their children receive some math tutoring, only 13% received such help more than weekly. Gallup notes that prior research shows  high-quality math tutoring can improve achievement by an additional three to 15 months of learning, 鈥渂ut the most impactful tutoring programs must include frequent sessions 鈥� three times a week or more.鈥�

Roughly a third of parents said they would enroll their child in tutoring if it was available or more accessible.

Parents also reported a lack of communication about the subject on the part of educators: One in six said they 鈥渘ever鈥� hear from their child鈥檚 school about the goals for their child鈥檚 math learning or what their student is learning in math class. 

The survey showed, too, a lack of understanding 鈥� and consensus 鈥� among educators about what constitutes high-quality instructional materials, curriculum aligned to college- and career-ready standards: 37% of all education leaders said they were 鈥渘ot at all familiar鈥� with or 鈥渘ot very familiar with鈥� the concept. 

Sixty-eight percent of school superintendents and 46% of school principals said their building or district had no official definition of the term. But when supplied with a definition by Gallup, which identified high-quality instructional materials as those 鈥渨hich are standards-aligned and use evidence-based practices for the content area,” 69% said most or all of their math curriculum qualified. 

Professional development proved an added challenge. Thirty-nine percent of educators surveyed rated their own school鈥檚 math-related professional development as 鈥渇air鈥� or 鈥減oor.鈥� This statistic was worse at the high school level where 6% said it was poor and 39% said it was fair. 

The Gates Foundation sponsored the Math Matters Study and provides financial support to 社区黑料.

Girls, who have been shown to to the psychological harms of social media, spend even more time on the apps than boys (an average of 5.3 hours a day vs. 4.4 hours for boys) and the platforms consume more of teenagers鈥� lives as they move through high school: 4.1 hours a day on average for 13-year-olds compared to 5.8 hours for 17-year-olds. 

The data collected from 6,643 parents and 1,591 of their adolescent children between June and July also identified factors that can loosen social media鈥檚 grip: Teens who scored high on conscientiousness as it relates to self-control and regulation spent less time on the apps as did those living with parents who restricted their screen time. Those kids were on social media 1.8 hours less a day on average than their peers whose parents strongly disagreed with curtailing screen time. 

The survey was accompanied by a  by Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies looking more closely at how parenting and self-control can mediate the link between social media use and youth mental health. Both come some five months after the U.S. surgeon general warned that social media poses a profound risk to children and the same month that , saying it designed features to hook children and lied about its platforms鈥� safety.

Meta owns three of the seven social media apps examined in the Gallup survey 鈥� Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. YouTube and TikTok were by far the most popular platforms surveyed, with teen girls spending nearly two hours a day watching TikTok videos and boys doing the same on YouTube for slightly more than that.

社区黑料 spoke with Jonathan Rothwell, a principal economist at Gallup who authored the research, to alert parents and educators to five things they should know about social media鈥檚 impact on youth mental health.

1. There鈥檚 a direct link between parent involvement and teens鈥� social media use and mental health.

Though social media鈥檚 impact on teen mental health has been long explored, one notable and less-researched feature of this survey is the correlation between parental involvement and intervention in teen鈥檚 screen time and its impact on their mental health. Rothwell says not only is limiting social media usage beneficial, but any harm from the content absorbed also seems to be mitigated by a strong parent-child relationship.

The Gallup and Institute for Family Studies report explored the idea from other researchers that the issue of social media and declining mental health may be cyclical for young people, who are already experiencing poor mental health or have 鈥渓ow life satisfaction,鈥� and turn to social media as a form of escapism. But teens who reported having a stronger and more loving relationship with their parents used social media less frequently and overall reported having better mental health.

2. Video-centered social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube may pose a bigger threat to teens鈥� mental health than other social media apps.

Teens reported spending an average of 1.9 hours a day on YouTube and 1.5 hours on TikTok. Rothwell points to videos being their most obvious feature, one unlike that of other social media apps that have historically focused on text and photos. The distinction raises questions about their appeal and potential harm. Instagram and Facebook are now modeling their platforms after TikTok and YouTube with vertical video features, trying to capture some of the same audience allure.

Rothwell says it would require greater detailed analysis to determine whether it鈥檚 simply the never-ending loop design of these video-centered apps or whether it鈥檚 particular content in the videos themselves that is creating a large appeal among teens and having an impact on their mental health. 

3. Even with involved parents, teen body image issues persist.

The report found that teens who spend more than five hours a day on social media are nearly three times as likely to hold negative views of their appearance as those who spend less time online. These negative effects were only associated in the report with YouTube and TikTok, likely because of the higher frequency with which teens use those apps versus Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

鈥淓ven when we saw that that sort of strong parenting relationship mitigates and maybe even eliminates the overall mental health problems, we did find that this other measure related to the teens鈥� body image continued to be negative, even in the context of a loving relationship with their parents,鈥� Rothwell said. 鈥淭hat makes me think that there could be something about these videos that makes people feel bad about who they are and what their body looks like.鈥�

4. Reducing the quantity of time spent on social media versus the quality of time may be more beneficial.

Because there鈥檚 no way for parents to ensure what teens may come across online at all times, Rothwell believes that reducing the amount of time spent on social media rather than trying to curate content creators or types of posts is the safer strategy. And because apps have refined their platforms to prioritize showing users people they don鈥檛 follow, there鈥檚 an added risk of coming across content that may contribute to declining mental health.

鈥淲ith any of these sites, there’s just no guarantee that unless you’re there with your kid, watching the videos together, that you’re going to be able to prevent exposure to harmful content.鈥�

5. Parents and educators have the opportunity to foster a healthier relationship between teens and their social media use.

Rothwell says that much like the cultural norms that exist with teaching healthy lifestyle habits, such as not overeating, healthy social media practices should also be implemented at home and in school.

鈥淓veryone who interacts with teenagers needs to do a better job of teaching them that it鈥檚 wasting their time and wasting their opportunities [and] to do something healthier, whether it’s education- or exercise-related or spending time with friends,鈥� Rothwell said. 鈥淓ven if the content was totally harmless, the probability that they’re going to be learning something useful from that content is very low.鈥�