Silicon Valley High School Students’ Mental Well-Being: What Stress Them and What Help Them Cope
Julie Shi
Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, USA
Independent Research Project, Summer 2025
ABSTRACT
Surrounded by highly educated families and a community that prizes achievement, Silicon Valley high school students often experience more stress than their peers in other regions due to intense academic and cultural pressures. This study investigates the main stressors Silicon Valley students face, the correlation between stress levels and academic workload, and the relationship between stress, parental education, and parental expectations. Hypothesis testing was conducted to evaluate differences in stress between public and private school students, and between female and male students. A survey was designed with seven categories of questions: demographics, academics and extracurriculars, family expectations, peer pressure and social relationships, body image, college and future uncertainty, and stress coping strategies. Results indicate that academic success remains the top stressor. However, there is no strong correlation between students’ stress levels and class workload. Parents’ higher educational attainment does not increase student stress, but parental expectations show a significant positive correlation with stress levels. The study also finds that female students report significantly higher stress than male students, while no difference was observed between public and private school students. Among coping strategies, talking to friends proved most effective, whereas working with mental health professionals was not perceived as effective as expected. These findings provide valuable insights for parents, schools, and mental health institutions to better support the well-being of Silicon Valley high school students.