HYS 2023 Information

Go to the Survey Coordinator Portal to: 

• Register for HYS or to update your registration.
• Verify that your school has notified parents and students about HYS.
• Access your student survey links.

An AskHYS log-in is required to access the Survey Coordinator Portal. See the Login page for more information.

The Washington State Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) measures health risk behaviors that contribute to health, injury, illness, and social problems among youth in Washington State. 

The survey produces estimates of the prevalence of major adolescent health risk behaviors and provides crucial information to school officials, health professionals, human service agencies, policymakers, and parents as they work together to ensure the optimum health of young people across the state. 

The survey results also provide important needs assessment data for program planning. They offer insight into the effectiveness of statewide prevention and health promotion initiatives designed to reach a range of education- and health-related goals at the federal, state, and local levels.  

Question & Answer Fact Sheet 
How Can the Data Be Used?

• Registration - Opens in April
• School preparation and training - September 2023
• Parent and student notification – at least two weeks prior to survey administration
• Survey administration - October 9th through 27th, 2023
• Survey results - winter 2024

For the 2023 HYS, there are two survey forms, one for elementary students and one for secondary students:  

• Elementary Survey (grade 6, also grade 7 in small school districts) 
• Secondary Survey (grades 8, 10, and 12, also grades 9 and 11 in small school districts) 

Click here to see if your district is considered small for HYS: Small School District List

For an overview of the survey content, see the Rationale & Description of Survey Content

To see questions on previous HYS questionnaires, see Survey Questionnaires

Exemptions and Optional Questions

Exemption for sexual behavior and/or sexual violence questions for 8th grade and older.     
This year, questions about sexual behavior and sexual violence are included in the main body of the survey for 8th graders and older. These are not part of a removable section as they have been in previous years. For schools with concerns about asking these questions in the main body of the survey, there is an exemption process for 2023.  

Please contact Washington State Department of Health at Healthy.Youth@doh.wa.gov if you would like to discuss an exemption for your school.  

Optional new 6th grade gender question.      
Every year on the HYS, students are asked the question: What sex were you assigned at birth? Female, Male. This year, schools can decide to also ask 6th graders (and 7th graders in small school districts) about gender. The new question is:       
     What is your gender?       
          Boy      
          Girl      
          Something else fits better.

Schools can add the new gender question to the elementary survey by opting in on the registration form.

The U.S. Department of Education emphasizes the importance of collecting high quality data on both sex and gender. Gender diverse youth are at increased risk of adverse experiences. Collecting both sex and gender on student surveys allows communities to better understand and meet the needs of all youth.

For more information, see the Question & Answer Fact Sheet. To find out more about how to request an exemption go to the Exemptions page.  

Need More Information about the 2023 HYS and Signing Up?

The HYS 2023 Kick-Off Conference on April 12th provided an overview of the 2023 survey, the updated AskHYS website, information about registration, and answers to frequently asked questions. See the presentation and the recorded webinar here:  
Kick-Off Presentation (PDF)     
Recorded Webinar (MP4)

A Tribal-specific orientation for the registration period was hosted on April 25th, and the recording and slides are available here:   
Meeting Presentation (PDF)   
Recorded Webinar (MP4)