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Iowa Youth Survey (IYS)
List items for Iowa Youth Survey (IYS)
Every two years, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) partners with Iowa school districts to administer the Iowa Youth Survey (IYS). The IYS is an important source of data on adolescent health behaviors and experiences. For decades, Iowa schools and parents have supported participation in the IYS. Hundreds of thousands of Iowa adolescents have shared information on their health-related experiences.
The 2025 Iowa Youth Survey will be administered Fall 2025. School districts will be receiving information in early 2025.
General FAQS
How long will the survey take?
Survey length will depend on each student. We estimate it will take about 20 minutes, on average, to complete the survey.
What questions are asked?
Topics included in the Iowa Youth Survey include: nutrition and exercise, beliefs and attitudes (including having a support system), substance use, mental health, extracurricular activities and volunteering, safety and bullying experiences. Your child will NOT be asked their name, date of birth, or any identifying information.
Is instructional time required for survey administration?
No, instructional time is not a requirement of participation. School districts may choose to provide the survey on a date and time that work best for their students and district, given the survey is administered between September 15 and November 10, 2025.
When will results be available?
We anticipate sharing IYS survey results in Spring 2026.
FAQ for Parents
Why should my student participate?
IYS collects youth-reported data on health behaviors and experiences. This information helps schools, communities, and state agencies improve the well-being and outcomes of Iowa's youth. Allowing your child to participate helps us understand strengths and opportunities for health-related student experiences.
How do I register my student to participate?
Parents of 6th, 8th, and 11th graders in participating districts should contact their school district directly for information on student survey registration. See below for information on active parental consent.
FAQ for Schools
Is the IYS required or optional?
While school districts are not required to participate in the Iowa Youth Survey, district-level participation is highly encouraged. Many of the topics asked of students in the IYS are unique to this survey – meaning, this is the only opportunity for your district’s students to share their health-related needs, behaviors, and experiences. Our hope is that schools will choose to participate in an effort to understand both strengths and opportunities for health-related student experiences. All districts will receive an email in the coming months from the State of Iowa with more information and a link to indicate their participation decision.
When will the survey be administered?
Participating schools are asked to administer the survey to students between September 15 and November 10. Schools may pick a date and time that works best for them.
Is active parental consent required?
Yes, parents must consent for their children to participate in the Iowa Youth Survey. Participating schools districts will provide parents with additional information and a consent form.
Released February 2023:
2021 Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey Summary Tables—Weighted Data
2021 Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey 10 Year Trend Analysis Report
Released April 2022:
2021 Iowa Youth Survey State Report
Released March 2022:
2021 Iowa Youth Survey Special Topics Report: Mental Health Findings
Released January 2021:
Special Report: Mental Health Disparities Among Youth in Iowa: Analysis of the Iowa Youth Survey (2014, 2016, 2018)
State of Iowa Youth Survey Reports:
2021 Iowa Youth Survey: State of Iowa Results
2018 Iowa Youth Survey: State of Iowa Results
2016 Iowa Youth Survey: State of Iowa Results
All State of Iowa Youth Survey Reports can be found on the Iowa Publications Online website.
The State of Iowa and County-level reports are designed to help state- and community-level planners identify youth development-related needs, develop relevant programs and assess the outcomes of those programs. These data can help us better understand our youth and their needs. They can help us assess the strengths and weaknesses of our schools, families and communities from the young person’s perspective. In addition, the data can support funding applications and other funding efforts for a wide variety of programs.
The scope of the youth survey differs slightly each survey year, although the basic questions remain consistent throughout. Beginning in 1999, participation was sought for all 6th, 8th and 11th graders. Starting in 2002, participation was also sought from all non-public schools in the state. Beginning in 2005, the survey was solely collected online. Beginning in 2008, the IYS moved to a two-year schedule instead of being administered every three years.
It is important to acknowledge that participating schools and districts change from year to year. County reports, and to a lesser extent the state report, are affected by changing participation patterns.
All county youth survey reports can be found on the Iowa Publications Online website.
The Judicial District reports are designed to help planners in these geographically defined regions (county combinations) identify youth development-related needs, develop relevant programs, and assess the outcomes of those programs. These data can help you better understand the young people residing in your judicial district and their needs. They can also help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of the schools, families, and communities in your judicial district from the student’s perspective.
Given that 11th graders are much more likely to be substance abusers than either 6th or 8th graders, any significant discrepancy between the proportion of 11th grade students and the other grades who took part in the youth surveys would produce a distorted total estimate for that judicial district (i.e., a larger proportion of 11th graders and a smaller proportion of 6th and 8th graders would produce an artificially high total substance use estimate in that judicial district). To reduce this bias, statistical weighting procedures were used. Please refer to each report for a description of the weighting procedure used in that survey year.
Reports are available for each of the eight Iowa judicial districts.
Judicial District Youth Survey Reports:
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - First Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Second Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Third Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Fourth Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Fifth Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Sixth Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Seventh Judicial District Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Eighth Judicial District Results
All Judicial District Youth Survey Reports can be found on the Iowa Publications Online website.
All Substance Abuse Prevention Planning Region Youth Survey Reports can be found on the Iowa Publications Online website.
Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are regional service agencies, which provide school improvement services for students, families, teachers, administrators and their communities. This includes planning and programming in the areas of safe, healthy, and caring learning environments. At the time of the administration of the 2008 Iowa Youth Survey, there were 10 AEAs.
The AEA reports are designed to help planners identify youth development-related needs, develop relevant programs, and assess the outcomes of those programs. These data can help you better understand the young people residing in your area and their needs. They can also help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of the schools, families, and communities in your area from the student’s perspective.
Given that 11th graders are much more likely to be substance abusers than either 6th or 8th graders, any significant discrepancy between the proportion of 11th grade students and the other grades who took part in the youth surveys would produce a distorted total estimate for that service area (i.e., a larger proportion of 11th graders and a smaller proportion of 6th and 8th graders would produce an artificially high total substance use estimate in that service area). To reduce this bias, statistical weighting procedures were used. Please refer to each report for a description of the weighting procedure used in that survey year.
Area Education Agency (AEA) Youth Survey Reports:
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Keystone AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Prairie Lakes AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Mississippi Bend AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Grant Wood AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Heartland AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Northwest AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Green Hills AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Great Prairie AEA Results
2021 Iowa Youth Survey - Central River AEA Results
All Area Education Agency (AEA) Youth Survey Reports can be found on the Iowa Publications Online website.
To access all reports from past years, visit the Iowa Publications site.
Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
List items for Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
Iowa will no longer participate in the YRBS. 2021 and 2019 reports remain available on this webpage
Data from the 2021 Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey can be found below.
Summary Tables - Weighted Data
Additional reports available upon request.
A video report of the 2019 Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey can be viewed at the Iowa HHS YouTube channel.
National YRBS and states data from 2021 can be found through the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System webpage.
Iowa School Health Profiles
List items for Iowa School Health Profiles
The School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices. Profiles surveys are conducted biennially, in the spring of even numbered years, among middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers. Profiles monitors the current status of:
- School health education requirements and content
- Physical education and physical activity
- Practices related to bullying and sexual harassment
- School health policies related to tobacco-use prevention and nutrition
- School-based health services
- Family engagement and community involvement
- School health coordination
The 2022 Iowa School Health Profiles reports can be found below. The data is weighted to be representative of Iowa public school districts across the state.
2022 Iowa School Health Profiles: Weighted Lead Health Education Teacher Survey Results
2022 Iowa School Health Profiles: Weighted Principal Survey Results