Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students often find both support and harm in the same schools. That is a key finding of a new research brief from The Trevor Project and Glisten. The brief was released Tuesday, according to The 74. It is titled "School Experiences and Outcomes Among Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Expansive Young People."
Across two national surveys, 97 percent of these students said they had at least one supportive educator. At the same time, 56 percent said their school had at least one discriminatory policy or practice. These two numbers describe conditions that can exist side by side. They do not add up to a single total.
The brief uses two data sources. The Trevor Project's 2025 survey included 3,758 of these students. Their median age was 16. It was done anonymously online between March and October. Glisten's 2025 National School Climate Survey included nearly 2,000 students. It was given between April and October 2024.
According to the brief, some students get more help than others. Students who had more supportive educators, felt more connected to other LGBTQ+ students, and saw positive lessons about LGBTQ+ people in at least one class reported higher grades. That was compared with students who had fewer of those supports. The brief presents this as a pattern in the surveys. It does not prove that support by itself causes higher grades.
The brief also shows harm. About 60 percent of students reported at least one negative event at school, according to The 74. That included 49 percent who reported verbal harassment tied to their LGBTQ+ identity. It also included 27 percent who said they were not allowed to dress in line with their gender. The Trevor Project's data show that nearly a third of these students (32 percent) missed at least one day of school in the last month because of safety concerns. The 74 reported that 25 percent missed 16 or more days last year. It also reported that 9 percent were treated so badly that they left their school for good.
"School environments can play a powerful role in determining whether transgender and nonbinary students thrive or struggle at school," said Derrick Matthews, director of research science at The Trevor Project. He said the data also point to "clear and impactful actions that teachers and school officials can take" to help these students. The brief lists steps like asking about and respecting pronouns, teaching about LGBTQ+ topics, and supporting student-led groups such as Gender-Sexuality Alliances.
Some students want teachers to do more. Shweta Moorthy, director of research and best practices at Glisten, described a pattern she called "negative neutrality." In it, teachers are not hostile, but they also do not actively support students. The Trevor Project's data show that many of these students act on their own. More than half (51 percent) had led at least one activism activity. Among students of color, 75 percent had taken part in or led activism.