At risk: Student stress and wellness at a high-achieving high school during the COVID-19 global pandemic

ABSTRACT

Stress negatively affects students from high-achieving schools. Stress has classified these students as an "at-risk" population, and the COVID-19 global pandemic has further shaped at-risk students' experiences. The purpose of this case study was to explore student stress and wellness both prior to and during the pandemic at a high-achieving school district in a northern suburb of New York City. The study explored which support educators from the high-achieving high school implemented to promote wellness and support students during the pandemic. The study further explored how students experienced changes beset by the pandemic, and the support that helped reduce their stress. This study was conducted using qualitative methods. A review of Stanford Survey of Adolescent School Experiences data from the high-achieving high school was completed to explore student stress and wellness both prior to and during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Interviews with educators from the school were completed to explore which supports were implemented during the pandemic to promote student wellness and coping. A questionnaire was sent to graduates from the school to explore their experiences. The goal of the study was to help better inform practice on how to support student wellness at high-achieving high schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)