Safer Schools, Stronger Communities: Lessons for Funders from YouthTruth’s Anti-Bullying Report

Schools are powerful “holding environments” where belonging, or the lack of it, shapes how we treat one another. For some, the bonds forged in school last a lifetime. For many others, school culture is defined less by friendship and connection than by bullying and exclusion. Because schools profoundly influence how young people grow and relate to others, they play an essential role in bridging divides and strengthening communities facing deep strain across the U.S.

This October, during National Bullying Prevention Month, YouthTruth’s new “Anti-Bullying Report” underscores a powerful truth: by listening to the experiences of students and educators, we can better understand what it takes to stop bullying. Policy debates show what’s at stake in the coming year. Many states have already turned to punitive measures — ticketing parents, suspending driver’s licenses, and criminalizing youth. But here’s the thing: bullying is not, at its core, a discipline issue — it’s a culture problem. And lately, it isn’t just a school problem; it’s eroding the foundations of our civic life.

Surveys of more than 200,000 students revealed that more than a third of elementary students (35 percent) and more than a quarter of middle schoolers (26 percent) reported being bullied last year. Even as rates decline in high school (15 percent), millions of young people still struggle to learn, grow, and graduate while navigating bullying — all while facing a wider cultural shift that risks codifying exclusion.

For funders, this moment calls for widening the lens on bullying prevention. Anti-Bullying Month is not only a time to listen to the experiences of youth, but also an opportunity to think broadly about the culture we are resourcing — in schools, in communities, and in civic life. From YouthTruth’s data, three lessons emerge with relevance far beyond schools.

Lesson 1: Belonging Protects Against Bullying

Belonging is a powerful shield against bullying. While policymakers reach for fines and license suspensions, students emphasize the power of a culture of belonging, where they feel recognized, respected, and included, as the true antidote to bullying.

Vulnerability is especially stark in middle school, where 42 percent of LGBTQ+ students and 45 percent of gender-nonconforming students report being bullied — nearly double the overall rate. By high school, no demographic group reports even 50 percent belonging, with some groups, like gender-nonconforming students (29 percent), far lower.

The takeaway is clear: cultivating inclusive cultures where individuals feel they belong is one of the most effective ways to prevent bullying. Funders can help scale the practices that build connection and inclusion — the conditions that protect against harm and strengthen civic life.

Lesson 2: Bullying Undermines Opportunity

Bullying is not random — it targets identity. Students are singled out for how they look, learn, the language they speak, or how they express who they are. At its core, bullying reveals how exclusion and inequity operate not just in schools but in our wider culture, with consequences that extend far beyond the moment of harassment.

For students, bullying is a stronger predictor of a student considering dropping out than race, gender, or grade level, making it one of the clearest warning signs that a student may be considering leaving school. While 15 percent of high schoolers overall report being bullied, certain groups — including non-binary, American Indian, Alaska Native or Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and students receiving special education services — report much higher levels of both bullying and dropout concern.

The takeaway is clear: bullying doesn’t just compromise safety, it threatens students’ long-term opportunity. School cultures are also key to the health of the wider culture — when students experience exclusion inside schools, it echoes in our communities and civic life. Funders concerned about equity can help schools confront identity-based bullying by resourcing efforts that build respect for difference, ensure inclusion, and strengthen the bonds that keep youth connected. Such investments have the power to ripple outward, shaping not only school culture but also the strength and inclusiveness of our broader communities.

Lesson 3:  Civility is Contagious

Young people notice how adults treat both one another and students. When they consistently see respect modeled across difference, bullying drops. This is about more than mitigating bullying in schools — it’s about teaching civility, a skill that underpins healthy communities and civic life.

The pattern holds at both middle and high school: when students see adults treating people from different backgrounds with respect, bullying rates decline. Encouragingly, most students report that adults do model this respect — 71 percent of middle schoolers and 68 percent of high schoolers. But here’s the important lesson: not all students see it. In middle school, for example, only 62 percent of Black students, 59 percent of gender-nonconforming students, and just 45 percent of Black non-binary students report witnessing adults model respect across difference. That gap points to an area for growth: ensuring every student benefits from the protective power of inclusive adult role models.

The takeaway is clear: we all contribute to the culture that shapes the communities we are a part of, and the world around us. By resourcing efforts that help adults consistently model respect across difference, funders can help foster a more respectful culture, both in schools, and in our future civic spaces.

Culture Does Not Happen by Accident

As we worked on YouthTruth’s new Anti-Bullying Report this summer, both of us also attended our high school reunions. We were reminded that school is where young people first encounter the culture of a community — where they learn what it means to belong, to navigate differences, and to treat others with respect.

At a time when exclusion is being amplified, investing in belonging and civility is essential. The three principals we interviewed for this report, who lead schools with notably low levels of bullying, reminded us that culture does not happen by accident. They emphasized that leadership is culture-building — shaping environments where belonging, safety, and respect across difference are the norm. Their advice is simple but powerful: make it hard to be a bully, make it okay to be different, and repair relationships when harm is done.

For funders, the message is clear: resourcing education is not only about what happens in classrooms — it is an investment in the kind of communities, and the kind of democracy, we hope to build together.

Jennifer de Forest is director of research and learning on the YouthTruth team at CEP. Camilla Valerio is an analyst on the YouthTruth team at CEP.