K-12 Education: Most States Require Public Schools to Teach Substance Use Prevention - Q&A - Report to Congressional Committees September 29, 2025

Oct 15, 2026

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Substance use remains a persistent problem in the United States, harming students’ school performance and mental health. Federal agencies fund and provide informational resources to help K-12 public schools and states prevent substance use before it begins. GAO surveyed all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and eight territories to examine state requirements for evidence-based drug education and prevention, including the extent of implementation challenges and federal support. It also analyzes changes in student substance use rates over time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Why This Matters

Federal Role and Guidance

Scope and Survey Coverage

Key Takeaways

State Requirements for Teaching Substances (K-12)

Information and Support Provided to Districts

Trends in Substance Use Rates Over Time

Tobacco Use Rates (2014–2023)

Alcohol Use Rates (2014–2023)

U.S. Government Accountability Office K-12 Education: Most States Require Public Schools to Teach Substance Use Prevention GAO-25-107647 [Accessible Version] Q&A Report to Congressional Committees September 29, 2025 Why This Matters Substance use—when people use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco in ways that can harm themselves or others—remains a persistent problem in the United States. Substance use can result in negative consequences, including poor school performance and diminished mental health. Research suggests that prevention programs for school-aged children may help address substance use before it occurs. The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy manage most federal programs that can support substance use prevention activities in K-12 public schools and other settings. These agencies provide funds and informational resources to states and schools. According to the 2024 National Drug Control Strategy , such efforts should focus on preventing initial substance use and promoting good mental health among school-aged children. National efforts to address drug misuse have been included on GAO’s High-Risk List since 2021. Senate Report 118-84 includes a provision for us to examine the extent to which states require the use of evidence-based drug education and prevention programs in public schools, and how the federal government helps address challenges schools face implementing these programs. In this report, we provide information about states’approaches to substance use prevention programs in public schools, and the resources federal agencies offer to help public schools implement these programs. We surveyed all 50 states, Washington, D.C. , and eight territories; 56 of the 59 state education agencies completed the survey. Throughout this report, we refer to the 56 respondents as “states.” Key Takeaways · According to our survey, most states (45 of 56) required public schools to teach about at least two substances in grades K-12, with 39 states teaching about all three (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs) in school year 2024–2025. Of the remaining 11 states, six did not have requirements for specific substances but had or were developing requirements that public schools teach about how substance use can affect students’health in grades K-12 . The other five did not require public schools to teach about substance use prevention at all. · Overall, 28 states reported that they provided information to school districts about evidence-based substance use prevention programs on state websites. · Education, HHS, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy provide states, community coalitions, and school districts with grants and online information, such as webpages containing links to webinars and federal agency resources. These agencies also fund technical assistance centers that develop substance use prevention resources. | How have substance use rates among school-aged children changed over time?
Over the last 10 years, substance use has generally declined nationally among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who were surveyed in data we analyzed from Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(see figs. 1–3) .1
Figure 1: Estimated Tobacco Use Rates Nationally Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders, 2014–2023

Accessible Data for Figure 1: Estimated Tobacco Use Rates Nationally Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders, 2014–2023
Tobacco use ratesa | | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Year | 8th grade | 8th grade: confidence interval:
Lower bound | 8th grade: confidence interval:
Upper bound | 10th grade | 10th grade: confidence interval:
Lower bound | 10th grade: confidence interval:
Upper bound | 12th grade | 12th grade: confidence interval:
Lower bound | 12th grade: confidence interval:
Upper bound | | 2014 | 6 | 5.55012 | 6.44988 |

FAQs

What is the purpose of this GAO report on K-12 education and substance use prevention?

The report examines how extensively states require public schools to use evidence-based drug education and prevention programs, and how federal agencies help schools address implementation challenges.

How many states participated in the GAO survey?

GAO surveyed all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and eight territories; 56 of the 59 state education agencies completed the survey.

What did the survey find about state requirements to teach about substances in grades K-12?

Most states (45 of 56) required public schools to teach about at least two substances in grades K-12, and 39 states taught all three (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs) in school year 2024–2025.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Melati