New COMPASS survey shows improvements in health and wellbeing of Island youth
The latest results from the 2025–26 COMPASS student survey shows positive, steady improvements in the health and wellbeing of students in grades 7 through 12 across the province.
Results are based on responses from students at 33 participating schools and point to steady, year‑over‑year gains in several key areas. The COMPASS survey tracks student health behaviours, offering timely and valuable insights to help schools, communities, organizations and government support student wellbeing.
“Healthy habits formed early matter,” said Minister of Health and Wellness Cory Deagle.
“The COMPASS student survey gives us a clearer picture of how young people are doing in real time, and this year’s results show steady gains in areas that matter most to long‑term health.”
Key findings from the 2025–26 survey include:
- Healthy Eating
- Daily fruit consumption increased to 44 per cent, up from 42 per cent in 2024–25 and 39 per cent in 2023–24.
- Daily vegetable consumption rose to 43 per cent, continuing a gradual upward trend.
- Physical activity and sleep
- 75 per cent of students met national daily physical activity guidelines.
- 64 per cent met recommended sleep guidelines of 8-10 hours per night, showing improvement over previous years.
- Substance use
- Cigarette use declined to 5 per cent (7 per cent in 2023–24).
- Vaping decreased to 10 per cent (16 per cent in 2023-24).
- Cannabis use fell to 6 per cent (11 per cent in 2023-24).
- Binge drinking declined to 12 per cent (14 per cent in 2023-24).
- School climate and mental wellbeing
- Reports of bullying dropped to 24 per cent, down from 30 per cent two years ago.
- 68 per cent of students rated their mental health as good, very good, or excellent.
- 78 per cent reported feeling a sense of belonging at school.
“We’ve worked hard over the last number of years to initiate new policies and programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of Island students, and to reduce bullying and other behaviours that can have a negative impact,” said Minister of Education and Early Years Robin Croucher. “To see these numbers improving gives us some indication that the efforts of school staff, administrators, and indeed students and their families, are helping to inspire better mental and physical health in our children.”
Overall, the findings point to meaningful and sustained progress in youth health outcomes across the province.
“These improvements don’t happen by accident, they’re the result of ongoing collaboration between schools, families, communities, community organizations and government,” said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison. “The results are encouraging and highlight the importance of maintaining momentum.”
Some health behaviours showed little change and require attention. For example, only five per cent of students met national guidelines recommended for recreational screen time; only 11 per cent of students felt they could personally contribute to addressing climate change; 36 per cent of grade 12 students reported binge drinking (more than 5 drinks in one occasion) in the last 30 days; 53 per cent of students in Grade 7 eat fruit seven days per week, while only 34 per cent do in Grade 12, showing a steady decline across the grades.
Results from the survey will be used to help frame policy and program initiatives going forward to support the wellbeing of Island youth.
To review the results, visit 2025/26 COMPASS Survey Results
PEI is the only province with province-wide participation. The report also compares Island students’ results with those from participating jurisdictions in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
The COMPASS Program is an established research program that helps schools implement and evaluate health promotion initiatives using timely, real‑world data.
For more information, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/compass-system/about
Media Contacts:
Autumn Tremere
Department of Health and Wellness
agtremere@gov.pe.ca
Andrew Sprague
Department of Education and Early Years
asgsprague@gov.pe.ca