Compilation Report
The Milton Public Schools recognize that for students to be productive, caring and contributing members of
society, as our Mission Statement says, they need more than an excellent academic experience. They also need to
be healthy in mind, body and spirit.
We regularly assess the academic progress of our children through a variety of mechanisms such as report cards,
MCAS, PSATs, portfolios, and the like. We believe it is also important to understand our students’ health and
safety status and to ask ourselves: Do the Milton Public Schools create a safe environment where children can
thrive, and are MPS students making the right choices to keep themselves physically and psychologically sound so
that they can reach their fullest potential?
To ascertain these questions, we felt it was important to survey students to better understand their risks and
address them if need be. We determined that the best instrument was to employ a validated survey developed by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and used by many districts across the Commonwealth
entitled, the Youth Risk Behavior Factor Surveillance Survey (YRBSS).
In December 2014, we randomly selected nearly 500 students from grades 9-12. This was a large enough sample to
make statistically valid conclusions, and the sample was quite representative of the ages, gender, racial
backgrounds and academic standing of MHS students. We were able to also compare how we stand relative to the
U.S. and the state. Here are some of the key findings:
Results of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System at Milton High School:
In this report, prepared by Lynch Research Partners, MHS students were compared with students in: 1) the United
States 2) Massachusetts and 3) the Metrowest region. Results reported below represent statistically significant
differences between MHS students and students in other samples.
15
10
5
0
Violence and Bullying
Percent of Students
20
25
Results of the survey highlight several areas in which MHS students are doing well and also identify potentially
problematic areas that may be targeted for additional remediation efforts. Positive findings suggest rates of
bullying and cyberbullying within MHS are significantly lower than rates within the United States, Massachusetts,
and Metrowest. Rates of sexual assault and dating violence are also lower among Milton students than other
students in the United States. In addition, Milton students are less likely to drive drunk or to ride in a car with a
driver who is drunk. In relation to substance use, MHS students are less likely to smoke cigarettes, use
hallucinogenics, ecstasy, heroin, methamphetamines, or prescription drugs and less likely to be given, offered or
sold drugs on school property then students across the United States and Massachusetts. The YBRSS also identified
several risk behaviors in which MHS students
engage at higher rates than students in the United
Percent of Students Who Reported Being Bullied at School
States, Massachusetts, and Metrowest.
22.7
Specifically, Milton High School students use
alcohol and marijuana at higher rates than United
19.5
States, Massachusetts, and Metrowest students
16.4
and report depressive symptoms more frequently
12.2
than Massachusetts and Metrowest students.
Massachusetts
Milton
Metrowest
United States


MHS students are less likely to be bullied on school property or online than students in the United States,
Massachusetts, and Metrowest
While 7.1% of students across the United States report not going to school because they felt unsafe, only
3.3% of MHS students reported feeling unsafe at school
Mental Health
 25.3% of MHS students reported experiencing symptoms of depression in the last year – this rate was
lower than students in the United States (29.9%) but higher than students in Massachusetts (21.7) and
Metrowest (20.0%)
 MHS students were less likely to have attempted suicide in the last year than students in the United
States and Massachusetts
30
20
0
10
Percent of Students
40
Cigarette Use
 41% of students in the United States and 31.6% of students in Massachusetts report smoking cigarettes
within the last 30 days compared with 24.1% of MHS students
Alcohol and Drug Use
 MHS students reported higher levels of
Percent of Students Who Consumed 5+ Drinks in a Row
binge drinking (34.5%) than students in
*During 30 days prior to survey
the United States (20.8%), Massachusetts
(18.9%) and Metrowest (19%)
32.9
 73.9% of MHS students report they
consumed alcohol compared with 66% of
21.2
United States students, 63% of
19.4
19.0
Massachusetts students and 56% of
Metrowest students
 MHS students were more likely to use
marijuana than students in the United
States, Massachusetts, and Metrowest
Massachusetts
Metrowest
 Rates of cocaine use among MHS female
Milton
United States
students were significantly lower than
students in the United States and Massachusetts. However, 6.9% of MHS male students reported using
cocaine compared with 6.6% of male students in the United States and 4.4% of male students in
Massachusetts
Drug- and Alcohol-Related Risk Behaviors
 29.2% of MHS students reported using alcohol or drugs before sex compared with 22.4% of United States
Students and 23.5% of Massachusetts students
 Only 5.8% of MHS students reported driving drunk in the last 30 days compared with 10% of students in
the United States, 7.1% of students in Massachusetts and 9% of Metrowest students
Call to Action
The Milton Public Schools is a highly regarded system because we believe in looking at data, naming our
challenges, and devising plans for addressing them. When our school assessments showed an achievement gap,
we named it, and then pursued evidence based strategies and resources to turn this problem around.
Similarly, we cannot afford to ignore the problems that this survey has illuminated. If we want our children to be
successful and productive citizens, we cannot pretend that social issues don’t exist, nor can we afford to ignore or
hide them.
Underage alcohol use and youth mental health issues are particular challenges in Milton that were raised by this
survey. We must be clear that these are community problems that the school system cannot possibly address
alone. These conditions are influenced by children’s environments including at home, their peers, and in their
communities. Our schools must join with our families, community leaders, faith organizations, social service and
health care organizations, and public safety officials to have a coordinated response that is inclusive and that
identifies interventions that are proven to make a difference. Our approach cannot be driven by personal anxiety
or indignation. We must look at the research and determine how we can unite to address these issues in a
coordinated and impactful way, emphasizing prevention instead of punishment.
What Can We Do?
-The Milton Public Schools has developed a Resource Guide on our website where families can get help for a
variety of substance abuse and mental health issues http://www.miltonps.org/partnerships-resourcepages.php
-We will convene faculty, administrators and students to better understand the issues and prioritize our strategies
-We are sending our faculty and students to a regional conference on underage drinking to get as much
information as we can on best practices
-We are teaming up with the newly-formed Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, sending faculty, resource
officers, administrators and students to meetings, where representatives from all sectors of Milton are committed
to working on addressing these issues. We will tap their public health professionals for technical assistance and
resources.
-We will sponsor educational programs for our faculty, parents and students, in coordination with the Coalition.
-We will continue tracking these issues in the future, and monitor our progress.
Every town, every school—whether public or private—has social challenges. They can choose to ignore or conceal
them, or they can confront and address them. The Milton Public Schools’ administration chooses the latter. We
are fortunate to have a community that is poised to make a difference for all of our children.