Student journalism participation takes several forms, from high-school yearbooks and newspapers to college reporting partnerships. The available evidence covers different populations and units, so school-level availability, student self-reports, program activity, and newsroom responses should be read separately.
Contents
- How common is student journalism in U.S. public high schools?
- Which formats and classroom pathways are most common?
- How did high-school senior participation vary?
- How many colleges have news-academic partnerships?
- How many college students and stories are involved?
- What reach do student reporting programs produce?
- How did college newsrooms respond during COVID-19?
How common is student journalism in U.S. public high schools?
The 2011 Scholastic Journalism Census measured the availability of student media in U.S. public high schools. Yearbooks were the most widespread format: 94% of public high schools had one. Student newspapers or newsmagazines were also common, appearing in 64% of schools. By comparison, 29% had a student television program and 3% had a student radio program.
These are school-level measures from a 2011 survey. They describe whether programs existed, not the share of students who participated. The same census reported that the average public high school with student media enrolled 873 students, while the average public high school without student media enrolled 222 students. Those enrollment figures provide context for the kinds of schools represented by the two groups, but they do not establish that larger schools caused higher media availability.
The census also found that 33% of public high schools had at least one form of online student media. Print remained part of the picture: 27% of print student newspapers had an online component, and 8% of print student newspapers published exclusively online. The categories overlap, so these percentages should not be added together.
Which formats and classroom pathways are most common?
Journalism participation in high school was closely connected with formal courses. More than 15,000 public high schools offered a journalism or publications class in the 2011 survey, equal to 88% of public high schools. The relationship between a class and a media program varied by format:
| Student media format | Share produced in relationship to a class | Census period |
|---|---|---|
| Yearbook | 86% | 2011 survey |
| Student newspaper | 83% | 2011 survey |
| Student television | 80% | 2011 survey |
| Student radio | 29% | 2011 survey |
The source for each figure is the 2011 Scholastic Journalism Census. The pattern shows that yearbook, newspaper, and television programs were usually linked to coursework, while radio programs were much less likely to be produced in relationship to a class. “Produced in relationship to a class” is a program relationship measure; it is not a student participation rate.
The format mix also helps explain why a single student journalism statistic can be misleading. A school may have a yearbook but no newspaper, or an online component connected to a print publication. The 2011 census reported 64% with a newspaper or newsmagazine and 33% with at least one online form of student media, but those measures refer to different program definitions and can overlap.
How did high-school senior participation vary?
The National Center for Education Statistics’ Youth Indicators, 2005, Indicator 34 reported the percentage of high-school seniors who said they participated in newspaper or yearbook “to a considerable or great extent.” The observations are historical self-reports, not current estimates. NCES also noted that the response rates did not meet its statistical standards.
| Year | All seniors | Male seniors | Female seniors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.3% | 6.3% | 12.7% |
| 1995 | 10.4% | 7.5% | 13.2% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | 7.1% | 14.7% |
| 2000 | 11.0% | 6.6% | 15.0% |
| 2001 | 10.0% | 6.3% | 12.9% |
The all-senior figures were 9.3% in 1990, 10.4% in 1995, 10.9% in 1999, 11.0% in 2000, and 10.0% in 2001. Within the same table, male participation was 6.3%, 7.5%, 7.1%, 6.6%, and 6.3% in those years, respectively. Female participation was 12.7%, 13.2%, 14.7%, 15.0%, and 12.9%.
The table therefore records a higher reported participation percentage for female seniors than male seniors in each listed year. It does not explain why, and it should not be combined with the 2011 school-level census as though both measured the same population. The census asked whether schools had programs; the NCES measure asked seniors about the extent of their own participation.
How many colleges have news-academic partnerships?
College participation can also be measured through partnerships between universities and news organizations. The 2026 Annual Impact Study: News-Academic Partnerships in the United States reported 205 U.S. colleges and universities with existing or emerging news-academic partnerships in 2025, compared with 172 in 2024. The source reported an increase of 33 schools, or 19%, between those years.
The study also used a broader overall partnership count: 282 existing or emerging U.S. news-academic partnerships in 2025, compared with 227 in 2024. That was an increase of 55 partnerships, or 24%. Schools and partnerships are different units, so the two series should not be substituted for one another.
Among the 205 schools with partnerships in 2025, 148 were public institutions, representing 72% of the total, and 57 were private institutions, representing 28%. The study identified 66 Minority-Serving Institutions, or 32% of the 2025 total. The comparable 2024 count included 40 Minority-Serving Institutions. These institutional figures describe participating schools; they do not represent the demographic composition of the students involved.
How many college students and stories are involved?
The same 2026 annual impact study reported activity from surveyed programs in 2025. A total of 9,322 students participated in news production. Those students produced 44,188 original stories, and 32,289 student-produced stories ran at least once in external outlets. The study also counted 3,069 news partners that ran student-powered news content.
These figures show the scale of production associated with the surveyed programs, but they do not mean that every student produced the same number of stories or that every original story reached an external outlet. The distinction between 44,188 original stories and 32,289 stories that ran externally is important: production and outside publication are separate measures.
The 2025 school count and student activity count also have different denominators. The 205 colleges and universities describe institutions with existing or emerging partnerships, while 9,322 describes students participating in news production through the surveyed programs. Neither figure is a national percentage of all college students.
What reach do student reporting programs produce?
The Center for Community News report “More than 14 Million Views: The Impact of Student Reporting” provides another view of college participation. In the last year measured for the 2023 report, up to 2,279 students participated annually in 67 surveyed university-managed student reporting programs. Those programs produced up to 10,369 stories and partnered with up to 1,555 outlets annually.
Based on reported distribution and pageview data, student reporters in the 67 surveyed programs reached more than 14,249,250 Americans. The report describes this as a conservative estimate based on reporting by program leaders and excludes an identified outlier. It is an estimated reach measure, not a count of unique people independently audited across all outlets.
At the time of the report, dated September 8, 2023, the Center for Community News had identified 120 university-led student reporting programs nationally. The 67 surveyed programs therefore represent a surveyed subset of the identified programs, not the entire national total.
The report grouped surveyed partnerships by audience area. Fifteen percent were classified as small, serving fewer than 10,000 people; 22% were medium, serving 10,000 to 30,000 people; and 30% were large, serving more than 30,000 people. Because these categories do not account for every percentage point, they should be treated as reported classifications rather than a complete distribution of all surveyed partnerships.
How did college newsrooms respond during COVID-19?
The College Media Review research report “The College Newsroom amid COVID” measured newsroom conditions during the spring 2020 shutdown. Ninety-three percent of surveyed college newsrooms said they continued publishing. Among the newsrooms that continued publishing, 14% were at two-year colleges, 52% were at four-year public colleges, and 35% were at four-year private colleges.
The survey also documented financial pressure. Six percent of surveyed colleges and universities provided emergency funding for student media after shutdown-related advertising losses, while 94% did not. Twenty-six percent of surveyed college newsrooms lowered student stipends because of the COVID-19 shutdown.
The same 2020 survey found that 82% of advisers said their university had not lost any media outlets during the preceding year. This is an adviser-reported organizational measure, not a count of students who remained active. Taken together, the figures indicate that publishing continuity was common among surveyed newsrooms even as emergency funding and stipends were limited, but they do not measure the longer-term effect on student participation.