Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Shows Continued Positive Trends for PSD Students

The mental health and well-being of Poudre School District students is of the utmost importance for all those working in the district, and that dedication toward creating safe and enriching learning spaces is evident in the results of Larimer County’s 2025 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. 

The biennial survey, which asks high school students a series of questions about their mental health and feelings of safety and belonging in their schools and neighborhoods, provides the community with information about youth health behaviors, protective factors, and emerging trends. This allows organizations, including PSD, to make better informed decisions about programs and resources that support youth well-being.  

Results from the 2025 survey, across the county and in PSD, indicated continued positive trends for student well-being. This included the percentage of students who felt safe at school, which rose from 94.9% in 2023 to 95.8% for PSD students specifically, and the percentage of students who felt they belonged at their school, which rose from 73.8% in 2023 to 78.5%. Other notable positive trends for PSD students included:

• The percentage of students who marked their stress as manageable rose from 63.3% in 2023 to 67% in 2025
• The percentage of students who feel safe in their neighborhood rose from 96.4% in 2023 to 97.3% in 2025
• The percentage of students who could ask their parents or guardians for help with a personal problem rose from 87.1% in 2023 to 89.2% in 2025

"Mental health and belonging have been a priority in Poudre School District for more than four years, and I am incredibly proud of the work our district is doing on behalf of kids,” said Superintendent Brian Kingsley. “There is a great deal to celebrate, and when I have the opportunity to look closely at our data, I can see that this work is making a real difference for our students.” 

The district, as with the county as a whole, identified areas where continued collaboration is needed to improve student well-being and mental health. This included for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students, who reported feeling less welcome in school than their peers, at 65.1% and 74.6%, respectively. PSD saw a decrease in the number of students who report they would be able to access a loaded firearm without adult permission, declining to 23.8%, down from 25.3% in 2023. The number of students who said they have used an electronic vapor device sat at 25.1%, down from 29.5% in 2023. 

“There is still work to be done in this field to ensure that every single student in PSD feels safe and welcome inside every one of our buildings,” Kingsley said. “It is important not just to me, but to everyone in the district that every PSD student feels like being in their school is not only a good place to learn, but a safe and welcoming place to be.”