Our SCHOOL Elementary Survey Highlights

Research consistently shows a sconnection between quality of relationships and health and wellbeing.

Feelings of acceptance and belonging are low among secondary students; this is particularly true for female students when compared to males.

Compared to males, females are less likely to: feel included in school activities (62% for males vs. 55% for females), make friends easily at school (69% vs. 65%), feel accepted at school for who they are (71% vs. 59%), feel like school is a place where they belong (59% vs. 49%), and feel accepted by other kids their age (73% vs. 62%). Full Report

Guidelines recommend limiting recreational screen time to no more than two hours per day.

Canadian sedentary behaviour guidelines for children aged 12 to 17 (from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, 2012) recommend limiting recreational screen time to no more than two hours per day. Ninety percent of secondary students are spending two hours or more in front of a screen after school each day.

Males are more likely than females to exceed the recommended guideline of two hours (91% versus 89%, respectively). The number of students reporting more than two hours of screen time increases with grade, from 88% in grade 9 to 91% in grade 12. Full Report

The percentage of females is almost double that of males.

One in four students shows signs of moderate to high anxiety. This percentage remains relatively stable across grades. The percentage of females with high to moderate anxiety is almost double that of males. The percentage of females showing signs of moderate to high anxiety is almost double that of males (33% vs. 17%). 

Rates of moderate to high anxiety also differ by newcomer and immigration status. Twenty-five percent of students born in Canada show signs of moderate to high anxiety, compared to 23% of students born elsewhere who have lived in Canada for five years or more, and 28% of newcomer students (those who have lived in Canada for less than five years). Full Report

Regular physical activity is an important indicator of wellbeing and has numerous benefits that extend into adulthood.

Males are more likely than females to engage in intense physical activity for 30 minutes or more after school each day (70% versus 60%, respectively). Physical activity slowly decreases with grade. Sixty-seven percent of students in grade 9 report engaging in intense physical activity for 30 minutes or more after school, compared to 66% in grade 10, 63% in grade 11, and 60% in grade 12.

Rates of physical activity also differ by newcomer and immigration status. Sixty-six percent of students born in Canada report engaging in intense physical activity for 30 minutes or more, compared to 62% of students born elsewhere who have lived in Canada for five years or more, and 55% of newcomer students (those who have lived in Canada for less than five years). Full Report

Bullying can lead to significant health and/or social-emotional problems.

Slightly more than one quarter of secondary students report being bullied in the past four weeks. The most commonly reported type of bullying is verbal bullying (20%), followed by social bullying (18%), cyber bullying (10%), and physical bullying (8%).

Twice as many males as females reported experiencing physical bullying (11% vs. 5%). More males than females reported experiencing verbal bullying (23% vs. 18%). Slightly more females reported experiencing social bullying compared to males (19% vs. 17%).

Compared to students born in Canada or who have lived in Canada longer than five years, newcomer students are almost twice as likely to report experiencing physical bullying once a week or more (13% vs. 7%). Full Report