Excellence isn’t just encouraged at State High; it’s expected. With top test scores and nearby Penn State, there’s a constant push to be the best, which isn’t helped by the State High “culture of excellence.”

From an early age, students are told to aim high: take as many AP classes as possible, join varsity sports, take on leadership roles, and get into a top college. Beneath these unrealistic goals, many students feel stuck, burned out, and anxious. There’s simply too much pressure.

“I think most of the pressure that I have felt is from peer to peer, but that has to come from somewhere, and I think, being in a college town, a lot of academic pressure comes from [post-college planning],” marching band drum major and student government president Luca Snyder said. “It all boils down to higher education … I think [the pressure coming from that can either be positive or negative]. I think it’s very easy for that balance to get out of whack, and I think sometimes it does at State High.”

At State High, it’s normal to have a packed schedule. Being ambitious is a good thing, but sometimes it feels like nothing is ever enough. Learning becomes about chasing numbers: volunteer hours, GPA, and SAT scores.

“The students that I teach have very busy schedules; they work and play sports. They’re in extracurricular activities…these are students who are super into leadership roles, like officer roles and things like that,” AP English Language and IB English teacher Bethany Haddock said. “Putting too much [academic] pressure on them…limits their ability to do extracurricular activities, which are good for developing well-rounded students. I think that it adds way too much to their general workload.”

This isn’t just a State High problem; schools across the country are dealing with the same thing. The pressure to achieve is taking a serious toll, leaving students with the unintended consequences of a culture obsessed with achievement.

According to the Pew Research Center, rates of anxiety and depression among teenagers are at record highs, with academic pressure being one of the major contributors: 61% of teens say they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades. More and more young people feel like they have to be amazing at everything all the time. This constant need to excel can lead to burnout, low self-esteem, and a sense of never being good enough, even when students achieve high levels.

Another problem with the pressure to succeed is that it can take the fun out of learning. When everything is about getting good grades or impressing colleges, students don’t always feel like they can explore things just because they’re interesting. Instead of doing something because they enjoy it, they might only focus on what will look best on a resume. This makes it harder to be creative or take risks, and school can start to feel more like a competition than a place to grow and try new things.

“Too much pressure can have negative impacts on students’ mental health, stress, anxiety, and depression. When that happens, students have a harder time completing assignments. Academic-like struggles cloud the ultimate goal that students are hoping to achieve. I’ve had students with that increased stress and anxiety, they miss a lot of school, which negatively impacts their school performance,” counselor Shawn Barbrow said.

Social media doesn’t help with comparison. Students see constant images of their peers’ accomplishments, early college acceptances, awards, and internships, without seeing the stress, setbacks, or struggles behind it all.

There’s also a societal expectation that every student should aim for the most prestigious colleges, the highest-paying careers, and the most impressive accomplishments. According to the Sociology Institute, children whose parents have high academic and college expectations are more likely to develop those aspirations. In a town like State College, where many students are connected to Penn State, attending college feels like the norm.

Students who choose alternative paths, whether community college, a gap year, or pursuing nontraditional careers, often feel marginalized or judged. This definition of success doesn’t leave much room for personal goals, passions, or just figuring things out.

“As students approach their higher education journey, a lot of people get a sentiment from some teachers or from other students that they shouldn’t go to Penn State or that they should go somewhere, like an Ivy League, or you have failed your high school career. I think that’s probably the biggest point of pressure that I felt throughout,” Snyder said.

State High has taken steps to address the growing mental health crisis. The addition of school counselors, mental health resources, and advisory periods gives students some breaks and support, but those changes can only do so much if the culture doesn’t shift too. As a school community, we need to start redefining what excellence really means.

Real excellence isn’t about being perfect. It’s about giving students the space to grow, to mess up, to figure out who they are. If we don’t change the way we think about achievement, we’re just setting up more students to feel like they’re not enough, and we all deserve better than that.