Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Colorado

By The Numbers

969,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

65,000
Children with major depressionii
20,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:1,578

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

1:2,258

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

1:324

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

Take Action
in Colorado

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 COLORADO COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv   

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

31

13

42

13

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

31,000 / 7.74%

59,000 / 13.89%

60,000 / 13.99%

65,000 / 15.02%

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

Not Asked

30,000 / 55.6%

29,000 / 60.9%

20,000 / 39.30%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

35,000 / 8.3%

36,000 / 8.7%

38,000 / 9.00%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

8,000 / 21.5%

8,000 / 21.5%

16,000 / 43.10%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

6,467 / 8.55%

5,578 / 6.90%

5,596 / 6.88%

5,687 / 6.98%

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

Not Asked

17,000 / 8.3%

17,000 / 8.3%

22,000 / 9.60%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

29,000 / 7.29%

24,000 / 5.6%

22,000 / 5.12%

24,000 / 5.44%

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.
Colorado

By The Numbers

969,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

65,000
Children with major depressionii
20,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:1,578

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

1:2,258

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

1:324

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

Take Action
in Colorado

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 COLORADO COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv   

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

31

13

42

13

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

31,000 / 7.74%

59,000 / 13.89%

60,000 / 13.99%

65,000 / 15.02%

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

Not Asked

30,000 / 55.6%

29,000 / 60.9%

20,000 / 39.30%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

35,000 / 8.3%

36,000 / 8.7%

38,000 / 9.00%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

8,000 / 21.5%

8,000 / 21.5%

16,000 / 43.10%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

6,467 / 8.55%

5,578 / 6.90%

5,596 / 6.88%

5,687 / 6.98%

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

Not Asked

17,000 / 8.3%

17,000 / 8.3%

22,000 / 9.60%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

29,000 / 7.29%

24,000 / 5.6%

22,000 / 5.12%

24,000 / 5.44%

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.

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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: Colorado has one school psychologist for every 1,578 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School social workers: Colorado has one school social worker for every 2,258 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School counselors: Colorado has one school counselor for every 324 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: Colorado Revised Statute 22-11-302 (2019) requires parental involvement, and mandates that each district must have a school accountability committee to encourage parental engagement.

 

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:

Some progress achieved

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

Current Policy:

  • Suicide prevention: Colorado 21-1119 (2021) requires suicide prevention and postvention training for K-12 educators.

 

Policy Opportunity:

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

Funding Supports

Substantial progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Medicaid coverage: State Medicaid program covers school-based mental health services for all Medicaid-eligible students.
  • Medicaid telehealth: State Medicaid program covers school-based mental health services delivered via telehealth.

Well-Being Checks

Little or 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

Substantial 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: Colorado Revised Statute 22-93-101-106 (2016) establishes a school bullying prevention and education grant program for schools.  
  • School climate survey: The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is administered in odd-numbered years and gathers aggregate data on youth health and wellbeing.
  • Inclusive Environment: Colorado Revised Statute 22-32-109.1 (2020) puts in protections for specific groups from discrimination and harassment, and Colorado public schools are required to address discrimination based on certain characteristics.
  • Alternatives to exclusionary discipline:
    • Colorado Revised Statute 22-33-202 (2016) requires school districts to provide students who are identified as at risk of suspension or expulsion with a plan to provide the necessary support services to help them avoid expulsion.
    • Colorado Revised Statute 22-32-144 (2016) encourages the use of restorative justice as the first step when remediating student offenses, rather than exclusionary discipline practices. Consequences for infractions like bullying or class disruption could include community service, counseling, and restitution.
  • Mental health excused absences: 22-33-104 (2020) requires policies to allow for excused absences for a mental or behavioral health disorder.
  • Suicide prevention:

Skills for Life Success

Meaningful progress achieved

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

Current Policy:

  • Life skills: Colorado includes life skills competencies throughout its K-12 educational standards (CASEL).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Establish existing educational standards for K-12 life skills competencies in statute.

Mental Health Education

Substantial progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Mental health education: State statutes require K-12 health education to include mental health.