Table 233.69b.

Percentage of public schools reporting that various factors limited in a major way their efforts to provide mental health services to students, by selected school characteristics: 2019-20

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
School characteristic	Inadequate access to licensed mental health professionals1			Inadequate funding			Potential legal issues for school or district2			Concerns about reactions from parents			Lack of community support for providing mental health services to students in their school			Written or unwritten policies regarding the school's requirement to pay for the diagnostic mental health assessment or treatment of students3			Reluctance to label students with mental health disorders to avoid stigmatizing the child
1	2			3			4			5			6			7			8
Total	40.1		(1.19)	54.3		(1.15)	15.1		(1.03)	8.4		(0.67)	9.9		(0.82)	19.4		(1.12)	8.4		(0.81)
School level4
Elementary	43.3		(1.96)	57.5		(1.75)	15.8		(1.53)	9.0		(1.01)	11.4		(1.25)	21.4		(1.70)	8.9		(1.27)
Middle	34.5		(1.59)	48.1		(1.72)	15.5		(1.23)	6.7		(0.72)	8.3		(0.94)	18.4		(1.54)	7.5		(0.92)
Secondary/high	34.1		(1.67)	49.8		(1.84)	12.3		(1.40)	8.4		(1.12)	7.1		(0.93)	14.3		(1.29)	6.9		(0.92)
Combined/other	45.8		(4.92)	57.9		(5.64)	16.8		(4.12)	7.4	!	(3.40)	8.8	!	(3.63)	19.4		(4.31)	10.5		(3.01)
Enrollment size
Less than 300	41.8		(3.42)	56.4		(3.37)	13.9		(2.47)	5.9		(1.52)	11.9		(2.18)	16.6		(2.91)	6.6		(1.87)
300 to 499	42.8		(2.46)	58.7		(2.60)	14.2		(2.03)	9.2		(1.33)	10.0		(1.49)	20.6		(2.38)	7.3		(1.56)
500 to 999	39.3		(2.22)	52.1		(1.63)	16.4		(1.71)	8.9		(1.33)	9.7		(1.31)	20.6		(1.59)	9.9		(1.15)
1,000 or more	32.1		(2.16)	45.6		(2.71)	15.7		(1.63)	9.2		(1.32)	6.4		(1.07)	17.3		(1.69)	9.5		(1.44)
Locale
City	42.7		(2.61)	56.2		(2.22)	15.0		(2.07)	9.2		(1.39)	13.4		(1.78)	24.9		(2.26)	10.8		(1.53)
Suburban	32.6		(1.91)	48.2		(2.11)	15.3		(1.88)	8.9		(1.39)	8.7		(1.48)	16.6		(1.71)	8.7		(1.34)
Town	39.2		(3.33)	57.7		(3.40)	16.1		(2.74)	6.2		(1.62)	6.3		(1.49)	18.8		(2.21)	6.1		(1.56)
Rural	47.0		(2.68)	58.4		(2.40)	14.6		(1.97)	8.0		(1.59)	9.5		(1.77)	17.6		(2.14)	6.6		(1.45)
Percent minority enrollment5
0 to 25 percent	43.1		(2.20)	57.5		(1.88)	12.5		(1.50)	6.2		(1.21)	8.1		(1.53)	16.9		(1.51)	6.6		(1.31)
26 to 50 percent	36.3		(2.91)	54.4		(2.85)	16.3		(2.10)	9.3		(1.43)	10.1		(1.46)	19.0		(1.92)	6.1		(1.13)
51 to 75 percent	39.6		(3.67)	54.5		(3.58)	16.7		(2.30)	8.4		(1.62)	10.5		(2.26)	20.9		(2.74)	9.9		(2.25)
76 to 100 percent	39.9		(2.83)	50.3		(3.09)	16.3		(2.34)	10.5		(1.52)	11.7		(1.79)	21.9		(2.27)	11.3		(1.76)
Percent of students eligible for     free or reduced-price lunch
0 to 25 percent	32.0		(2.86)	47.9		(3.09)	12.1		(1.80)	8.3		(1.46)	7.9		(1.48)	14.0		(2.13)	5.6		(1.29)
26 to 50 percent	40.1		(2.01)	54.5		(2.72)	13.8		(1.88)	6.5		(1.54)	7.0		(1.29)	17.6		(2.01)	7.5		(1.45)
51 to 75 percent	43.7		(2.55)	57.9		(2.81)	15.4		(2.08)	8.5		(1.58)	11.9		(2.07)	20.7		(2.36)	7.6		(1.50)
76 to 100 percent	41.7		(2.72)	54.9		(2.61)	17.6		(2.20)	9.9		(1.31)	11.7		(1.68)	22.9		(2.37)	11.2		(1.70)

!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

1 Licensed mental health professionals include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners, psychiatric/mental health nurses, clinical social workers, and professional counselors.

2 Examples of legal issues provided to respondents were malpractice, insufficient supervision, and confidentiality.

3 A diagnostic mental health assessment is an evaluation conducted by a mental health professional that identifies whether an individual has one or more mental health diagnoses. Treatment is a clinical intervention--which may include psychotherapy, medication, and/or counseling--addressed at lessening or eliminating the symptoms of a mental health disorder.

4 Elementary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades K through 4 than in higher grades. Middle schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 5 through 8 than in higher or lower grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools.

5 Refers to the percent combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and students of Two or more races.

NOTE: Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which each factor limited the school's efforts to provide mental health services to students. For each factor, they could select "limits in major way," "limits in minor way," or "does not limit." Estimates in this table represent only those schools reporting that a factor limited their efforts in a major way. Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about school crime and policies to provide a safe environment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2019-20 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2020. (This table was prepared November 2021.)