Student well-being in India declines sharply through senior school years, finds study

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Student wellbeing in India declines sharply through the senior school years, the Student Well-Being Pulse Report by IC3 Institute has found. The report is a part of a wider study on student suicide aversion, which focuses on mental health and well-being. The proportion of students reporting high overall wellbeing fell from 62% in Grade 8 to 43% in Grade 12, the report has stated. The findings are based on the responses from 8,515 students across India, showing a consistent decline across wellbeing, happiness, confidence and motivation as students progress through school. The report was launched at the 10th Annual IC3 Conference and Expo in Mumbai on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

“The findings point to a widening gap between the pressures students experience and the support they seek. Happiness falls from 65% in Grade 8 to 48% in Grade 12, confidence from 64% to 47% and motivation from 64% to 49%. Negative emotions also intensify with age, with anxiety, low energy, frustration, loneliness and sadness all peaking among students in Grades 11 and 12. When students do seek help, they most commonly turn to friends and family, with 49% and 44% respectively. A smaller proportion also reach out to teachers (13%) and school counsellors (6%), while 2% report seeking support from therapists. Notably, 52% of students believe that therapy or counselling would be helpful, indicating openness to structured support when accessible,” a statement issued by IC3 stated.

As per the report, girls experience significantly higher levels of negative emotions than boys across every category. Across all five negative emotional states (anxiety, low energy, loneliness, frustration, and sadness), female students consistently report higher “Often/Always” levels than males. 33% girls experienced anxiety, while 23% boys reported experiencing it.

Also, negative emotions intensified steadily as students moved into higher grades. “Almost every emotion shows a clear upward trend from Grade 8 to Grade 12 in the “Often/Always” category. Seniors (Grade 11 and 12) show the worst overall emotional wellbeing profile. In every negative emotion category, Grades 11 and 12 have the highest, or among the highest, “Often/Always” responses. This reflects academic pressure, board exams, college planning, and burnout,” the report said.

Students generally reported high levels of flourishing, especially in social belonging and emotional connection. Across nearly all indicators, the majority of students fell in the ‘Strongly Agree/Agree’ category, often above 60–80%. Overall, 62% students felt happy at school while 78% have a close friend at school and 74% felt safe and included in school. Additionally, 64% said they took care of their physical and mental health, 78% said their friends and family support them and 70% said they feel hopeful of their future.