Adolescents with adult support

Photo Courtesy of BSK/COO

In a survey of public school students, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders were asked if there were adults in their neighborhood or community they could talk to about something important. On average in 2023, 70.1% of King County students reported having supportive adults in their lives.   

• Region: At 61.5%%, South King County had a lowest proportion of students with adults they could turn to among all King County regions.  

• Race and ethnicity: White students (79.2%) were most likely to report having adults to talk to. Black (57.6%), Hispanic (56.6%), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students (46.9%) were less likely than the county average to have adult support. Despite 70.5% of Asian students reporting having adults to talk to, those who identified as Cambodian/Khmer (58.1%) and Vietnamese (62.0%) were less likely to have adult support than the county average.  

• Sexual orientation: Students who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (64.8%) were less likely than heterosexual students (73.0%) to have adult support.   

• Gender: Students who identified as transgender (59.4%) or “something else fits better” (58.0%) or who were questioning their gender (60.3%) were less likely to have adult support than the King County average. 

• Trends: The percent of King County students who report having supportive adults in their lives increased over time from 68.5% in 2006 to 74.4% in 2018. However, since then, the proportion of students who can turn to a supportive adult decreased to 70.1% in 2023. From 2021 to 2023, an increase was seen across grade levels, sexual orientation, region, several races/ethnicities, and King County overall.