WASHINGTON, D.C. — Though several aspects of Gen Z students’ classroom engagement have improved modestly in recent years, more than four in 10 middle and high school students report that school usually does not feel interesting or seem to be a good fit for their talents, while about three in 10 do not feel like their teachers check in with them or recognize their strengths. Students who lack these experiences are notably less likely to feel prepared for their postgraduation future.
These findings — the latest from the Walton Family Foundation-Gallup Voices of Gen Z study — are based on responses from 1,758 14- to 19-year-old Gen Z students, which were collected via web survey May 22-June 9, 2026.
Belonging, Engagement Predict Students’ Postgraduation Confidence
Overall, six in 10 Gen Z students agree that they feel prepared for the future. This percentage has increased notably since 2023, when the first Voices of Gen Z survey found that 43% of 14- to 19-year-old students felt prepared for the future.
This sense of preparedness is closely tied to 12 engaging school experiences, which include students feeling like their coursework is interesting and relevant and having close connections to their teachers and peers. Gen Zers who report having more of these experiences are more likely to agree that they are prepared for their postgraduation future.
About eight in 10 students (81%) who agree that they have 10 or more of these engaging experiences also agree that they feel prepared for the future. This is three times higher than the percentage among the least engaged students (27%), who report having three or fewer engaging experiences.
Students’ feelings of preparedness are also related to their postgraduation plans, particularly whether they intend to pursue a college degree. About two-thirds of students who plan to go to a two- or four-year college (68%) feel prepared for the future, compared with 50% of students who do not plan to attend college.
Still, the relationship between engagement and preparedness holds regardless of students’ postgraduation plans: Gen Zers who do not plan to go to college but are highly engaged at school are more likely to feel prepared for the future than their less engaged, college-bound peers.
Student Engagement Shows Signs of Improvement, Though Gaps Remain
Recent increases in the percentage of students who feel prepared for the future are likely related, in part, to a higher percentage feeling engaged in the classroom. Just over half of 14- to 19-year-old students (51%) agree that school gives them the opportunity to do what they do best, while 60% agree their schoolwork challenges them in a good way. Each of these reflects a double-digit increase over the percentage of similarly aged students who agreed in 2023 (37% and 50%, respectively).
The percentage of students who say their teachers make them feel their schoolwork is important has increased by six percentage points since 2023 (63% vs. 57%, respectively), while the percentage who agree that they have learned something interesting at school in the past week is relatively unchanged (59% vs. 61%).
While students are more likely to report having several of these engaging experiences than they were in 2023, between 37% and 49% of students still do not agree that their school experience gives them the opportunity to leverage their strengths, feel appropriately challenged, or learn material that seems interesting and relevant.
About One in Three Students Lack Support From Teachers, Campus Connection
The degree to which students are engaged in their coursework is closely tied to the relationships they have with their teachers and other adults at school. However, about three in 10 students do not agree that they have adults who check in with them or recognize their strengths.
Students are most likely to agree that there is a teacher or adult at school who encourages them to pursue their goals and dreams (79%). They are somewhat less likely to agree that adults at school support the specifics of their goals, such as recognizing their individual talents and interests (70%) or helping them think about career pathways that would suit them (63%). On a more personal level, 71% of students agree that there is a teacher or adult at school who regularly checks in on them to see how they are doing.
As with engagement in the classroom, while most students agree that they have a teacher or other adult who monitors their wellbeing and helps them think about the future, about one in three students do not agree that they receive this type of support at school.
When students lack these individualized connections with their teachers or are disinterested in what they are learning, many question whether school is a place for people like them. This is reflected in the percentage of students who feel like they belong at school: Two-thirds agree that school is a place where they feel like they belong (67%), while one in three do not (33%). An even smaller percentage of students (55%) agree that their school feels like the perfect place for students like them.
This also extends to students’ comfort in speaking up in the classroom: 71% agree that they feel comfortable asking questions at school, while 29% do not.
Students Who Do Not Plan to Go to College Are Less Engaged at School
While finding a sense of engagement and belonging at school is challenging for many Gen Z students, it is particularly difficult for those who do not plan to pursue a two- or four-year degree. These students are significantly less likely than their college-bound peers to agree that their schoolwork challenges them positively (45% vs. 67%), that their teachers make their schoolwork feel important (56% vs. 67%) and that they have learned something interesting in the past week (52% vs. 63%).
Students who do not plan to attend college also report double-digit gaps in the extent to which they agree that their teachers make them feel their schoolwork is important (56% vs. 67%) or encourage them to pursue their goals and dreams (71% vs. 82%). They are also significantly less likely to feel like they belong at school (59% vs. 71%) or feel comfortable asking questions (60% vs. 78%). These gaps are further reflected in the 18-point deficit in preparedness that non-college-bound students report compared with their peers who plan to pursue a degree.
Implications
While classroom engagement has improved marginally in recent years, significant segments of the Gen Z student population continue to feel like school is not interesting, challenging or relevant to them. This is especially problematic for some subgroups of students, such as those who do not plan to pursue further education after high school; however, this challenge also applies to students who are conventionally successful at school, including those who are strong academic performers or college-bound.
Although it may be intrinsically desirable for students to value and enjoy the time they spend at school, the implications of disengagement in the classroom extend beyond it. Students who feel less engaged and comfortable at school also feel less prepared for their future — regardless of the path they intend to take after graduation — and are less likely to be thriving in their wellbeing.
Closing this engagement gap is a multifaceted task, but it starts with building stronger connections between students and teachers. Students who have a teacher who cares about their overall wellbeing, while recognizing the content that is uniquely relevant to their talents, interests and goals, are significantly more likely to be engaged in their coursework. As a result, schools that enable teachers to build these types of individualized relationships with more of their students will likely find that these students are more engaged in the classroom and confident in their future.
Stay up to date with the latest insights by following @Gallup on X and on Instagram.
Learn more about how the Voices of Gen Z survey works.
