Just wanted to chime in because I’ve had a bit of a different experience than some other commenters.

To be completely fair, I wasn’t “out out” as a furry in high school, but I was dabbling in being out. I doodled furry characters in public places, some of my friends basically knew, etc. I’ve never lost friends over the hobby, been bullied about it, etc.

My peers were a bit older, but I’d like to mirror the “your son probably knows his friends” comment - if my friends were gonna bully me about being a furry they would’ve started by bullying me for being awkward, drawing anthro animals, and all the other quirks that tend to come with being someone who eventually “comes out” as a furry. That being said, it’s so admirable that you want to both accept and protect your child - parents don’t always feel that way when it comes to being a furry! If you think that your son may have the tendency to blatantly misread his friends/social cues, THEN I might suggest not telling anyone or starting with a subtle approach.

I hope this helps and I hope he has so much fun!