Why Going Back to School Can Make Kids Anxious, and Still Be Good for Their Mental Health
Summary: Going back to school can trigger real stress and anxiety in children and teenagers, particularly as they adjust to new schedules, academic demands, friendships and social pressures. But a large California study found that school reopening was also associated with lower rates of diagnosed anxiety and depression among children. The two findings are not necessarily contradictory. For many students, the transition back to school can be stressful while the structure, routine and social connection school provides may support mental health over time.
For parents, the weeks before school starts can bring a familiar contradiction.
A child may complain about going back. A teenager may struggle to sleep, become irritable or suddenly develop a stomachache every Sunday night.
Then school starts, the routine returns and something unexpected can happen: the same environment that caused anxiety during the transition may provide structure and connection that children were missing.
That distinction matters.
Back-to-school anxiety is real. But it does not automatically mean that school itself is bad for a child’s mental health.
Why returning to school can feel stressful
The transition from summer to a structured school schedule can be difficult for children at any age.
There is the obvious change in routine: earlier mornings, homework, extracurricular activities and less unstructured time.
But there can also be social and emotional pressures.
A student may be worried about a new teacher, academic performance, making friends, bullying, fitting in or simply whether they will feel comfortable in a new classroom.
For teenagers, those concerns can become even more complicated as academics, friendships and expectations about the future converge.
That means some nervousness before school begins is not necessarily a warning sign.
The more important question is what happens next.
California research offers a surprising finding
A large 2026 study of 185,735 school-aged children across 24 California counties examined what happened to children’s mental-health diagnoses around school reopening.
Researchers found that school reopening was associated with a 1.2-percentage-point reduction in the monthly prevalence of mental-health diagnoses, along with a 10.6% reduction in related health-care spending. The strongest differences involved anxiety and depression, with larger effects observed among girls.
That doesn’t prove that school itself prevents anxiety or depression.
The researchers were studying an association, not conducting a randomized experiment in which some children were assigned to school and others were not.
But the finding challenges a common assumption: that removing children from the school environment necessarily protects their mental health.
Sometimes, the structure that comes with school may provide something children need.
School can create structure and connection
School is more than academics.
For many children, it creates predictable schedules, regular contact with teachers and friends, opportunities for physical activity and access to counselors and other support systems.
Research involving 1,114 Los Angeles high school students found that students who perceived their schools as both supportive and structured later reported greater self-efficacy and grit, as well as fewer depressive symptoms, feelings of hopelessness and school-related stress.
That doesn’t mean every school environment is healthy.
A school can also be a source of bullying, academic pressure, isolation or other stressors.
The lesson is more nuanced:
A supportive and structured school environment may be protective. A harmful school environment may not be.
So how can parents tell the difference?
A child saying, “I don’t want to go to school,” isn’t enough to determine whether something is seriously wrong.
Parents should look for patterns.
Physical symptoms can include recurring headaches, stomachaches or nausea, particularly when they repeatedly appear before school.
Behavior changes may show up as unusual irritability, withdrawal, anger or clinginess.
Sleep problems can include difficulty falling asleep, waking repeatedly or persistent school-related nightmares.
School avoidance is more concerning when a child repeatedly cries, panics, begs to stay home or becomes intensely distressed about attending.
The key is persistence and interference.
A few difficult mornings during a major transition are different from anxiety that continues or worsens and begins affecting attendance, sleep, relationships, eating or daily functioning.
What parents can do before school starts
The best response isn’t to tell an anxious child, “You’ll be fine.”
That can unintentionally dismiss what they are feeling.
Instead, parents can acknowledge the emotion while helping the child prepare.
Rebuild routines early. Gradually move bedtime and wake-up times closer to the school schedule before the first day.
Talk without interrogating. Conversations often work better during a car ride, walk or another low-pressure moment than during a face-to-face conversation that feels like an investigation.
Validate the feeling. “It’s okay to feel nervous about going back” can open a conversation that “There’s nothing to worry about” may close.
Ask specific questions. Instead of “Are you worried about school?” try asking, “What’s the hardest part about going back?”
That can help reveal whether the concern is homework, friendships, bullying, a particular class or something else entirely.
When to bring the school in
Parents don’t have to figure everything out alone.
If distress persists, worsens or begins interfering with attendance or everyday life, contacting a teacher, counselor, school social worker or health professional can help identify what is happening.
That is particularly important when a child is repeatedly refusing school or showing significant changes in mood, sleep or behavior.
The goal isn’t to eliminate every uncomfortable feeling.
Children will experience nervousness, disappointment and stress throughout their lives. Learning to navigate manageable stress is part of growing up.
The goal is to recognize when ordinary transition anxiety has become something that needs more support.
The bigger lesson
The research points to a conclusion that is easy to miss.
School can be stressful and supportive at the same time.
The first days back may produce anxiety because children are transitioning into a demanding environment. But once the routine is established, that same structure, along with relationships and access to support, may benefit some children’s mental health.
So when a child says they are nervous about going back to school, parents don’t have to choose between dismissing the fear and assuming school is harmful.
They can listen.
They can watch for patterns.
They can help rebuild the routine.
And if the distress doesn’t fade, they can bring in the people whose job is to help.
Sometimes the question isn’t whether school is good or bad for a child’s mental health. It’s whether the child has the support they need to make the transition successfully.