10 Story Ideas for October, 2026
Girl and Grades: There is a GPA disparity in high school—studies show 51% of female students earn GPAs above 3.0, compared to only 36% of males. You could dig into this topic a little, investigating the academic leadership in your school. Are females more likely to be the top academic achievers? Why? We know boys are usually more disruptive in class, and research shows girls tend to display more self-discipline overall. Are the guys wasting their opportunities in school? Another angle: Girls tend to score higher in language arts, and while they also have better grades than boys in STEM classes, the gap is much closer.
Before the Dawn: There are jobs people do every morning before the sun rises that benefit the rest of us. Have you ever visited a donut shop around 4:30 a.m.? What a great, visual story as workers prepare that morning’s selections. Think about other jobs that happen in the early AM while the rest of us are sleeping. School bus drivers often arrive to work between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. Agricultural workers tend to livestock and manage farm duties before the sun rises. Another one right in front of you—the school custodian who unlocks the building and prepares for the school day hours before students arrive. Teenagers are known to be late sleepers…so focusing on the early-morning workers could be eye-opening for your audience.
Gas Prices and Teens: Today the average cost of a gallon of gas is just under $4.50 in the U.S. (Diesel is averaging $6.38 per gallon). So how are the higher gas prices impacting teenage drivers? This is a chance to cover a current issue in the news nationally by focusing on local teen drivers. Are they changing how much they drive? Who buys their gas? Are they spending less elsewhere (fast food, etc.) because they are using more of their money to fill their tank?
Raising Fentanyl Awareness: There is a great site to get you started on a piece on the “natural high” site about fentanyl, a powerful, dangerous synthetic opioid: https://shorturl.at/cCUMN While it is information directed at parents of teens, there is a lot of great/scary information on the site. One fact: 52% of teens are unaware that fentanyl is being added to illicit drugs.
Teen Voters and the Midterms: In a recent national poll, more than 95% of voters ages 18-29 said they were either "very excited" or "somewhat excited" to cast a ballot this November. So what are the issues driving eligible teen voters to the polls in November? Are teens at your school engaged in the upcoming election? Are there some who could vote but plan to sit it out? This is a great opportunity to pick the brains of young voters who may have a huge impact on the midterms.
The Halloween Debate: Eight out of every 10 years Halloween falls on a school night, and a lot of people want to change that. Petitions have been signed asking for the official observance of Halloween to be moved to the last Saturday of October. You can see the logic. Avoid a school night since this holiday is generally about kids trick-or-treating. So what do your viewers think? And what would it take to make this happen?
Fast Food Favs: A survey of 9,200 U.S. teens aged 19 and under revealed the top five fast food chains favored by teenagers. https://foodinstitute.com/focus/teens-top-5-restaurant-chains/ Here’s a fun topic you can localize. Some of you may live in a town without one or two of the top five, so what do teens in your area prefer? You could even come up with your own survey to compare to the one at the link.
Pets? You Bet: From 60% to 70% of teenagers live in a house with at least one pet. What a fun story to consider—teens and their pets. And of course, articles have been written about the value of caring for a pet, and having the companionship, most commonly a dog or cat. Here is an interesting list of the best pets for young people by age group: https://www.petmd.com/dog/pet-lover/these-are-best-pets-kids-each-age Note: You can include teens with more exotic pets…many have them, and pets make for great b-roll.
Pod Squad: So 63% of Americans ages 13 to 24 have listened to a podcast in the last month. More and more schools have some sort of podcast production. Nationally, the number of podcasts is increasing, not falling. The joke is often, “Everyone will have their own podcast someday.” Maybe. For now, maybe find out what pods are popular with teens at your school—and maybe include teachers in this one. Podcasts are niche programming. Everyone has their favorites. True crime. Entertainment. Politics. You can use short clips from popular podcasts under “Fair Use” as you do a story about them. Some recent research: https://www.siriusxmmedia.com/insights/growing-up-with-podcasts-the-gen-z-podcast-listener-report
Slay: What’s the latest slang and do adults have any hope of keeping up? Here’s a list published in June: https://tinyurl.com/yaxeuff8 You can have some fun with this one. Teens will have their own current phrases/words to add to this list. Asking adults in your building if they know what they mean would provide a little humor, I’m sure.
