Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Alaska

By The Numbers

158,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

10,000
Children with major depressionii
6,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:5,368

Ratio of School Psychologists to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:500)

1:6,240

Ratio of School Social Workers to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

1:417

Ratio of School Counselors to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

Take Action
in Alaska

There is a national emergency in children’s mental health. Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. 

Take Action

Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. Mental health challenges can affect success at school and in life, yet few students get the help they need to thrive.

The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national organizations, is committed to ensuring that every student has access to effective and supportive school mental health care. The campaign’s school mental health report cards highlight accomplishments and provide important action steps to help address the children’s mental health crisis in every state.

At A Glance: State School Mental Health Policies

School Mental Health Professionals:

School-Family-Community Partnerships:

Teacher and Staff Training:

Funding
Supports:

Well-Being Checks:

Healthy School Climate:

Skills for Life Success:

Mental Health Education:

Little or no progress achieved

Some progress achieved

Meaningful progress achieved

Substantial progress achieved

HOW ALASKA COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

21

49

40

46

Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year

5,000 / 8.27%

8,000 / 14.27%

9,000 / 15.21%

10,000 / 17.93%

Youth with Major Depressive Episodes in the
Past Year Who Did Not Receive Treatment

Not Asked

5,000 / 65.6%

5,000 / 57.8%

6,000 / 63.40%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

5,000 / 9.3%

6,000 / 10.7%

7,000 / 12.10%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

2,000 / 31.4%

2,000 / 29.9%

1,000 / 20.20%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

671 / 5.69%

707 / 5.93%

745 / 6.26%

765 / 6.48%

Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not
Cover Mental or Emotional Problems

3,578 / 33.6%

2,000 / 8.9%

2,000 / 10.3%

2,000 / 7.50%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

4,000 / 6.53%

4,000 / 6.54%

3,000 / 4.37%

3,000 / 4.63%

i. Projections of education statistics to 2022. National Center of Education Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014051.pdf.
ii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iv. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.

Alaska

By The Numbers

158,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

10,000
Children with major depressionii
6,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:5,368

Ratio of School Psychologists to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:500)

1:6,240

Ratio of School Social Workers to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

1:417

Ratio of School Counselors to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

Take Action
in Alaska

There is a national emergency in children’s mental health. Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. 

Take Action

Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. Mental health challenges can affect success at school and in life, yet few students get the help they need to thrive.

The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national organizations, is committed to ensuring that every student has access to effective and supportive school mental health care. The campaign’s school mental health report cards highlight accomplishments and provide important action steps to help address the children’s mental health crisis in every state.

At A Glance: State School Mental Health Policies

School Mental Health Professionals:

School-Family-Community Partnerships:

Teacher and Staff Training:

Funding
Supports:

Well-Being Checks:

Healthy School Climate:

Skills for Life Success:

Mental Health Education:

Little or no progress achieved

Some progress achieved

Meaningful progress achieved

Substantial progress achieved

HOW ALASKA COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

21

49

40

46

Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year

5,000 / 8.27%

8,000 / 14.27%

9,000 / 15.21%

10,000 / 17.93%

Youth with Major Depressive Episodes in the
Past Year Who Did Not Receive Treatment

Not Asked

5,000 / 65.6%

5,000 / 57.8%

6,000 / 63.40%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

5,000 / 9.3%

6,000 / 10.7%

7,000 / 12.10%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

2,000 / 31.4%

2,000 / 29.9%

1,000 / 20.20%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

671 / 5.69%

707 / 5.93%

745 / 6.26%

765 / 6.48%

Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not
Cover Mental or Emotional Problems

3,578 / 33.6%

2,000 / 8.9%

2,000 / 10.3%

2,000 / 7.50%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

4,000 / 6.53%

4,000 / 6.54%

3,000 / 4.37%

3,000 / 4.63%

i. Projections of education statistics to 2022. National Center of Education Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014051.pdf.
ii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iv. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.

Join the movement

Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin-in

School Mental Health Professionals

Little or no progress achieved

School psychologists, social workers, and counselors who, together, provide a range of necessary mental health services in schools.

 

Current Policy:

  • School Psychologists: Alaska has one school psychologist for every 5,368 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School Social Workers: Alaska has one school social worker for every 6,240 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School Counselors: Alaska has one school counselor for every 417 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Invest in significantly improving the ratios of school psychologists, school social workers, and counselors in K-12, including through telehealth partnerships and workforce programs that incentivize careers in mental health.

School-Family-Community Partnerships

Meaningful progress achieved

Policies that support and enable schools to engage with families and community partners.  

Current Policy:

  • Family/community engagement: State statutes and regulations require districts to adopt plans, policies, or strategies to engage parents and families in the educational process.

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require partnerships between school districts and community mental health providers that ensure access to services for students with ongoing needs.

Teacher and Staff Training:

Meaningful progress achieved

Policies that support training of teachers and staff in mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention.

Current Policy:

  • Suicide prevention training: Alaska Stat. § 14.30.362 (2020) requires all teachers, administrators, counselors, and specialists to receive youth suicide awareness and prevention training.
  • Substance use training: Alaska Stat. § 14.20.680 (2020) requires training for all teachers, administrators, and counselors on the needs of students suffering from drug or alcohol abuse.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Expand on existing training requirements to ensure K-12 teachers and staff receive regular training on mental health conditions, including available school and community-based services and resources.

Funding Supports

Some progress achieved

Policies that help support funding of school mental health services for Medicaid-eligible students.  

 

Current Policy Achieved:

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Expand Medicaid billing to include school-based mental health services, including via telehealth, for all Medicaid eligible students (beyond students with an IEP).
  • Ensure the state Medicaid program covers services delivered by school psychologists, social workers, and school counselors.

Well-Being Checks

Little to no progress achieved

Regular checks of mental wellness that help identify students and staff who may need support.  

 

Current Policy:

  • No well-being checks required.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require annual well-being checks for all students and staff in K-12.

Healthy School Climate

Some progress achieved

Policies that foster safe, supportive schools, including anti-bullying policies, school climate surveys, inclusive environment (anti-discrimination) policies, excused absences for mental health, alternatives to exclusionary discipline, and suicide prevention programs.

 

Current Policy:

  • Anti-bullying:
  • Alaska Stat. § 14.33.200 (2020) requires each school district to adopt an anti-bullying policy that prohibits harassment or intimidation and emphasizes respectful conduct and speech.
  • Alaska Stat. § 14.33.220 (2020) requires that all school employees, volunteers, and students report to the appropriate school authority any incident of bullying or harassment that they encounter.
  • Alaska Stat. § 14.33.210 (2020) requires every school district to annually report to the state education department all incidents of bullying, intimidation, or harassment that resulted in a suspension or expulsion. The data are to be compiled and reported to the state legislature.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Enact legislation to address additional healthy school climate policies, such as requiring annual school climate surveys, promoting an inclusive environment through anti-discrimination policies, permitting excused absences for mental health concerns, requiring age-appropriate suicide prevention education for students, and requiring adoption of alternatives to exclusionary discipline that keep youth in school, with services and supports to get their lives on track.

Skills for Life Success

Little or no progress achieved

Skills, such as responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and self-management, that help students succeed in school and life.  

Current Policy:

  • No recommended life skills competencies in K-12 (CASEL).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require adoption of evidence-based life skills education for K-12, including making training in the curriculum available to parents and caregivers.

Mental Health Education

Little to no progress achieved

Health education in K-12 that includes instruction on mental health.  

 

Current Policy:

  • Mental health education not required by statute.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require K-12 health education to explicitly include education on mental health, similar to legislation passed by New York and Virginia.