This program brought free mental health services to Massachusetts students. Now funding is running out.

A Bessemer Elementary School, a telemedicine program launched in 2021 is combatting high rates of absenteeism by providing health care in school. Students can log into a computer at school and receive care, then head back to class rather than having to miss school for doctor visits or sick days. Since the program launched, absenteeism at the school fell from 49% during the 2021-2022 school year to 37% last year.

A growing number of high schools across Massachusetts are exploring later start times, amid research showing that a lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on the health and academic performance of teenagers.

The Mary Lyon School is a “full-inclusion school” designed to give students — especially those with special needs, including emotional and behavioral disabilities — the necessary resources and supports to see positive outcomes with their education. The Mary Lyon School uses community-based approaches and philosophies rooted in inclusion to stay connected with students and their families to help guide them toward their graduation day.

Amid a shortage of school counselors and social workers, Michigan school districts are emphasizing social-emotional learning with a new curriculum that draws on cognitive behavioral therapy. Through short lessons about how to disrupt negative thoughts and emotions, small-group sessions with mental health professionals, and expanded teacher training around suicide risk management, schools are creating a "culture of empathy" that students say has improved their sense of self-efficacy.

In Oregon's Multnomah County, high schools provide school-based mental health care centers, which include access to an overall health assessment, a mental health counselor, and a behavioral health specialist at no out-of-pocket cost. One benefit of this program is that students who are visiting the center for a physical reason – such as headaches – have the opportunity to have potential underlying conditions that are related to mental health recognized.

The Communities in Schools program (CIS) places trained navigators in low-income schools to provide wraparound social support, helping students and families access public benefits, cover emergency expenses, provide behavioral counseling and address barriers that prevent students from succeeding academically. The non-profit has been helping students for 50 years, serving 2 million children across 26 states, and has seen significant academic and economic outcomes, including increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

Through the Youth Connect program, Memphis teens can access up to 12 sessions with an out-of-school therapist, helping to fill gaps in school-based mental health services and give students more choice in who they see. So far, nearly 350 students have taken advantage of the program.

Self-directed learning centers in Massachusetts, such as North Star, provide an alternative for students who don't thrive in traditional schools. These centers allow homeschooled students to pursue their own interests through optional classes, tutoring, and community activities, with no mandatory attendance or standardized curriculum requirements. North Star has operated successfully for 30 years, growing from a handful of students to 65 expected enrollees in the coming school year.

Facing a youth mental health crisis, some schools are using digital screening tools like BIMAS-2 and DESSA to identify students needing behavioral support. Districts in Green Bay and Alexandria report positive results, but widespread adoption meets resistance due to costs, parent concerns, and limited capacity for follow-up support.

To help address low school attendance and retention among girls, Kano’s state government launched a transportation initiative with buses that bring students to and from school for N50 per trip, a much lower cost than arriving by commercial rickshaw. Both students and teachers report that the program has made it easier and less costly to arrive at school on time.