UC Santa Barbara

This study examines the interplay between school experiences, mental health, and suicidality among Black adolescents, analyzing secondary data from the CDC's 2021 Adolescent Behavior and Experiences Survey (ABES) (Rico et al., 2022). Employing Latent Class Analysis and statistical mixture modeling, three classes emerged: 'Low,' 'Medium,' and 'High Exposure to Racial Discrimination'—each with distinct patterns of negative experiences related to their educational journey. Key indicators included physical and emotional abuse during COVID-19 'school at home,' cognitive vulnerabilities, hopelessness, and mental health challenges. The findings highlight the severe impact of systemic inequities and pervasive racial tensions on the mental health and suicidality of Black adolescents, shedding light on the troubling realities of their developmental experiences. The study underscores the urgent need for culturally competent educational reforms and the establishment of anti-racist school climates that promote psychological safety and foster healthy cognitive development. School culture-changing initiatives are critical for accelerating educational attainment, providing equitable opportunities, and bridging historical divides. The paper concludes with a call to the education community to examine the critical consciousness and psychological safety of their practices and spaces. Black Adolescent Student Experiences are contextually complex adolescent student experiences, historically driven by societal “race feelings,” often presenting as inescapable and persistent hopelessness. To gain a more in-depth understanding of the growing vulnerability of Black adolescent students in America, there is a need for future research that utilizes larger datasets across disciplines to exponentially accelerate the cognitive development of Black adolescents through protective ‘no harm’ school experiences, fostering positive emotional experiences, ensuring psychological safety at school, thereby informing the radical reformation of the Black Adolescent Student Experience, immediately. This study concludes with a call to the education research community to lead the way in fortifying the psychological resilience of all adolescents, thereby enhancing their cognitive capabilities for educational attainment.Keywords: school experiences, mental health, suicidality, Black adolescents, ABES, CDC, Latent Class Analysis, racial discrimination, systemic inequities, educational reform, anti-racist education, cognitive development, interdisciplinary research, longitudinal studies, diversity.