Teen drinking and drug use on Vashon — once far above state averages — have declined, according to the latest Healthy Youth Survey.

Results from the survey — administered last year at middle and high schools across the state — show that eighth- and 10th-grade drinking, binge drinking, marijuana use and use of other drugs have all dropped steadily on Vashon since the survey was first given in 2006.

Statewide results have shown similar though not as steep decreases in teen substance use.

For instance, in 2006, 34 percent of Vashon’s eighth and 10th graders — a group government agencies look at when considering grants — reported drinking in the last 30 days, compared with 24 percent statewide. By 2010, that number had dropped to 22 percent on Vashon, and last year, just 11 percent of Vashon’s eighth and 10th graders reported drinking in the last 30 days, compared with 14 percent statewide.

Similarly, in 2006, 28 percent of eighth and 10th graders on Vashon reported using marijuana in the last 30 days, compared with 13 percent statewide. Last year, just 8 percent of Vashon students reported using marijuana, compared with 13 percent statewide.

While the small numbers of students surveyed mean the statistics could be off by a few percentage points, those examining the results say it’s encouraging that Vashon’s numbers are now more in line with state averages. They also call the downward trend evidence that school and community efforts to prevent teen drug and alcohol use are working.

“The big trends are looking good. … We’re close to the state in almost everything,” said Jim Hauser, a member of the Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Use (VARSA).

In 2009, the group that would become VARSA partnered with Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) to garner a large federal grant to try to address Vashon’s high levels of teen drinking and drug use. In 2012, VARSA captured an additional grant, and at one point the community coalition had around $250,000 per year to spend on programming and island-wide initiatives to steer youth away from drugs and alcohol.

While VARSA and VYFS became mired in dispute over how the funding was spent, those involved say much has also been accomplished in recent years. The funding has allowed VYFS and the schools to offer more parent education, parent counseling and services for families with at-risk children. Efforts in the community have included giving local businesses electronic ID readers, opening up or lighting places known to draw illegal activity and putting on highly publicized events, from prescription drug take-backs to road cleanups.

At Vashon High School, policies around drugs and alcohol have tightened. And VARSA helped those designing the new high school building incorporate principles meant to provide fewer places for people to hide. VARSA volunteers have also worked to provide alternative activities for teens.

The school district has partnered with VARSA for some of its programs and now works more closely than ever with the group as the fiscal sponsor for its grant.

“I don’t know what’s correlative, let alone causative in that,” said VHS Principal Danny Rock, “but I have to believe if you’re trying to tackle this big of an issue, that every little individual effort is contributing to the larger push.”

Hauser agreed.

“I think it’s easy to get tied up in the minutia, but when you look at the bigger trends, I think it’s working,” he said.

The Healthy Youth Survey is a lengthy questionnaire administered every two years that gives a snapshot into the lives of Vashon’s teens. While the survey was previously given only to sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders, this year all grades at VHS were surveyed. It was also the first year results compared Vashon’s data with the averages from only small school districts in Washington. Lisa Bruce, VARSA’s paid coordinator, said the small school averages were very similar to the statewide averages.

Rock noted that while Vashon’s use is now more in line with state averages, the survey found that both drinking and marijuana use spiked between the 10th and 11th grades. For instance, just 16 percent of Vashon’s 10th graders reported drinking in the last 30 days, but 34 percent of 11th graders and 41 percent of 12th graders reported drinking.

Similarly, 30-day marijuana use rose from 12 percent in 10th grade to 20 percent in 11th grade and 26 percent in 12th grade, numbers that are close to state averages.

Rock said that with that information, the high school hopes to now focus more on reaching ninth and 10th graders before they start drinking or using drugs. They’re off to a good start, he noted, by moving health class from 10th grade to ninth grade.

“While we’ll continue to be holding students accountable if they choose to be high or bring drugs to campus or be under the influence at events, the focus will not be on them but on everyone else who’s not choosing to use. … I definitely have a renewed interest in focusing on a prevention program to empower kids who are not using to continue to not use,” he said.

Bruce agreed that VARSA and the school district’s work is far from over, noting that survey results also show Vashon teens perceive less risk around drinking and drug use than they once did.

Among other things, this year VARSA is looking at where teens access alcohol. According to the Healthy Youth Survey, around 46 percent of students reported they got alcohol from a friend and 45 percent got it at a party. Eighteen percent said they took alcohol from home and 24 percent had their parents’ permission to drink at home.

VARSA will continue its efforts to educate parents, Bruce said, and will host a presentation next month by Stuart Gitlow, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He’ll speak about how substance use can harm a developing brain.

“It’s not just that they’ll become addicted, but the use harms them,” Bruce said.

VARSA is also making plans to go beyond the Healthy Youth Survey by having informal discussions with teens about the local party scene and what activities are popular for youth, since many indicated they got alcohol through friends or at parties.

“We’re not cops. We’re just interested in knowing,” Bruce said. “What do you do, and what do the kids who aren’t in the party scene do? And how can we help make events that people want to go to? How can we expand on that?”

VARSA also recently garnered state grants to partner with the schools on programs around mental health and suicide, issues Bruce said often go hand-in-hand with substance abuse. The Vashon Schools Foundation is also raising money for a broader effort around mental health education and suicide prevention.

Healthy Youth Survey data shows that reported depression levels have remained steady among Vashon teens, with a small spike in 2010. Last year, 22 percent of students in eighth and 10th grade reported feeling depressed in the prior 12 months, compared to 31 percent statewide. Five percent of Vashon’s eighth and 10th graders said they had attempted suicide in the last year, compared with 10 percent statewide.

Bruce said that while Vashon’s numbers might look low compared to the state, smaller numbers are less reliable, and mental health is an issue for youth everywhere.

“We’re glad the school district has decided to do something focused around this,” Hauser said.