More girls than boys enroll in high-level math and science courses. They read more books and are simply more academically engaged. Girls outnumber boys in student government, honor societies, and activities like school newspapers and debating societies. More boys than girls are suspended from school. More boys than girls repeat grades and drop out of school.
Boys get more involved than girls do in crime, alcohol, and drugs.
Though girls attempt suicide more often, more boys succeed. In The War Against Boys, Christina Hoff Sommers writes that boys receive ADHD diagnoses three times as often as girls. The preferred solution is often drugs. Previous generations achieved a balance between a strict, academically based classroom and a healthy dose of fresh air and running and jumping and climbing at recess. She notes that all students benefit from recess, but boys absolutely need it.