Research Reference
Youth Mentoring Statistics: 2026 Snapshot
A source-backed reference on the need for supportive relationships, what people report about mentoring and the challenges young people are navigating across the United States.
Last updated August 4, 2026. Each figure is labeled with the original source and data year.
What This Page Covers
A practical snapshot, with the dates kept in view.
Mentoring is one part of a young person’s broader circle of support, alongside family, school, friends, counselors and community. The figures below are useful context for conversations about mentoring, belonging and youth well-being. They are not promises about any one young person or program.
Use the links beside each statistic to read the original research. AFGM will refresh this page when a key source publishes updated national data.
Mentoring Findings
What national mentoring research tells us.
MENTOR’s 2023 study drew on the experiences of more than 2,600 Americans across generations.
1 in 3
young people reported growing up without a mentor.
MENTOR’s national study found that the mentoring gap remains substantial, especially for young people facing greater barriers to support.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)74%
of people with a meaningful mentor said that person contributed significantly to their later success.
This figure reflects how adults in the study described the lasting value of a meaningful mentor in their own lives.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)85%
of young people with a mentor said that relationship helped with school or education.
The result comes from MENTOR’s survey-based research on what young people say their mentor relationship supported.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)58%
of young people said their mentor supported their mental health.
This is a self-reported benefit, not a measure of clinical care or a replacement for professional mental-health support.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)22%
more likely to have experienced a strong sense of belonging while growing up.
MENTOR reports this difference among young people with a mentor in its national study.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)60%
of people under 40 with a childhood mentor said they still draw advice from that mentor.
The finding points to the potential long tail of a relationship that remains meaningful after youth.
Source: MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023)Youth Well-Being
Why consistent support matters beyond one conversation.
Federal survey data provides important context for the pressures many students report. These figures describe national samples, not AFGM participants.
40%
of U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023.
CDC reports this national Youth Risk Behavior Survey result for the prior 12 months.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey20%
of U.S. high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023.
This national CDC survey result shows the scale of distress students reported, not a diagnosis for any individual young person.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey9%
of U.S. high school students reported attempting suicide in 2023.
CDC rounds this result to nearly one in ten students in its national summary.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey61.5%
of U.S. high school students reported feeling connected to others at school in 2021.
CDC found that students reporting school connectedness also reported lower prevalence of several risks and experiences. The finding is an association, not proof that one relationship causes the outcomes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey analysis (2021 data, published 2023)Methodology And Sources
How to read these statistics.
This page uses national, named sources. It does not combine figures from different studies or present estimates as fact. MENTOR’s findings are survey-based reports about mentoring experiences. CDC findings come from national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data and show reported experiences among high school students.
- MENTOR, Who Mentored You? (2023). National study of mentoring experiences across generations.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adolescent Mental Health. Summary of 2023 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey findings, published December 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, School Connectedness and Risk Behaviors and Experiences. Analysis of 2021 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, published 2023.
Cite This Page
A Few Good MENtors. “Youth Mentoring Statistics: 2026 Snapshot.” Updated August 4, 2026. https://afgmentoring.net/youth-mentoring-statistics
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