Students, particularly those adolescents in military families face, unique issues, such as frequent moves and parental deployments, that can present barriers to learning. In fact, a survey released on August 10, 2026 by the National Military Family Association (NMFA) shows 22% of teens in military families reported low mental well-being, nearly 30% reported thoughts of self-harm within the previous six months, and 16% said they had harmed themselves at least once during that time period. Also, about 2% of the approximately 800 respondents reported making a suicide plan in the prior three months.

In addition, teens living in military families also have faced food insecurity at higher rates than their civilian peers for five consecutive years, according to NMFA’s findings. Slightly over one-third of respondents reported some level of food insecurity in the previous month, which exceeds the 20% rate reported in 2023 for military families overall.

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