Published September 11, 2026 at 5:35 AM EDT

The rate of middle and high school students who vape is declining across the United States, with Central Pennsylvanian districts and experts seeing similar trends.

Nicotine vape use among middle and high school students fell to 5.2% in 2025, the lowest rate since the behavior peaked in 2019, according to the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Six years ago, 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% of middle school students reported use.

Some Central Pennsylvania school districts are seeing the same downward trend in vaping among students. Penn Manor High School in Lancaster County saw about a 20% decrease in vaping-related infractions in the 2025-26 school year compared to the year before. The district has been transparent about its use of vape detectors, Principal Doug Eby said, so students know not to bring vaping products to school.

Pam Miller, UPMC tobacco cessation expert, said the decline in youth vaping likely has several causes.

“I think that may be, in part, due to some of those enforcements and policies and being more aware of these products and how they affect our students,” she said.

She said many students who vape begin in middle school, and it’s an “entrenched” behavior by early high school. School bathrooms are a particular hotspot for vaping.

“The younger that a person starts, the more difficult it can be to stop,” Miller said. “Along with other health risks to every organ in the body, with young people, the brain is definitely at risk to lifelong addiction and problems with attention, learning, memory, and other areas of the brain as well.”

Districts throughout the region have installed vape detectors in bathrooms. They send alerts to administrators when they detect vapors in the air.

Penn Manor has these sensors in its middle and high school bathrooms. The district purchased the sensors with a Safe Schools grant. Eby said the district piloted the program about four years ago.

Targeting underlying stressors that could push students to vape also helps decrease rates, he said. The district partners with Pennsylvania Counseling Services to help students handle issues inside and outside of school.

“On occasions, they make decisions and experiment with vaping,” he said. “I found that it’d be very beneficial to provide that support for those that may be struggling.”

Eby and Miller said education on the dangers of vaping is important. Penn Manor’s counseling staff and physical education teachers teach students about the potential health implications.

Miller said ensuring students understand the effects, accessing only FDA-approved products and limiting fun flavors can further decrease youth vaping.

But the products continue to change and develop.

“Many times the new products can come out before we have all the data about the effects,” she said. “It’s really important to keep on top of these evolving products, including the continual information and research that we’re learning about them.”

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