Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Washington-DC

By The Numbers

69,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

4,000
Children with major depressionii
1,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:410

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

1:365

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

1:511

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

Take Action
in DC

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 WASHINGTON DC COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv    

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

13

1

3

3

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

2,000 / 7.23%

3,000 / 10.49 %

3,000 / 10.53%

4,000 / 11.36%

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

Not Asked

1,000 / 48.7%

1,000 / 38.8%

1,000 / 41.0%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

2,000 / 7.9%

2,000 / 6.8%

2,000 / 7.3%%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

1,000 / 38.1%

1,000 / 37.3%

1,000 / 35.8%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

1,326 / 23.38%

840 / 12.7%

827/ 12.32%

802 / 11.54%

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

Not Asked

0 / 4.1%

1,000 / 4.6%

1,000 / 4.50%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

2,000/ 7.29%

2,000 / 7.29%

2,000 / 5.42 %

2,000 / 5.57%

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.
Washington-DC

By The Numbers

69,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

4,000
Children with major depressionii
1,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:410

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

1:365

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

1:511

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

Take Action
in DC

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 WASHINGTON DC COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv    

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

13

1

3

3

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

2,000 / 7.23%

3,000 / 10.49 %

3,000 / 10.53%

4,000 / 11.36%

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

Not Asked

1,000 / 48.7%

1,000 / 38.8%

1,000 / 41.0%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

2,000 / 7.9%

2,000 / 6.8%

2,000 / 7.3%%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

1,000 / 38.1%

1,000 / 37.3%

1,000 / 35.8%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

1,326 / 23.38%

840 / 12.7%

827/ 12.32%

802 / 11.54%

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

Not Asked

0 / 4.1%

1,000 / 4.6%

1,000 / 4.50%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

2,000/ 7.29%

2,000 / 7.29%

2,000 / 5.42 %

2,000 / 5.57%

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

Some progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • School Psychologists: Illinois has one school psychologist for every 1,261 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School Social Workers: Illinois has one school social worker for every 741 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School Counselors: Illinois has one school counselor for every 626 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

Some progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Family/community engagement: State statutes encourage, but do not require, districts to adopt plans, policies, or strategies to engage parents and families in the educational process.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require, rather than encourage, school districts to adopt family engagement plans.
  • 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:

  • Teacher/staff training: State statutes require training in warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior at least once every two years for all teachers and administrators.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Expand on existing training requirements 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

Meaningful progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Medicaid coverage: Illinois has submitted a Medicaid state program amendment that would cover school-based mental health services for all Medicaid-eligible students.
  • Medicaid telehealth: State Medicaid program only covers school-based mental health services delivered via telehealth for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Ensure Medicaid covers school-based mental health services for all Medicaid-eligible students 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:

  • School climate survey: At the school level, Illinois administers a yearly survey tied to the state’s accountability system. The 5Essentials Survey measures: Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environments, and Ambitious Instruction.
  • Anti-bullying: 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7 (2017) requires schools to provide students with information on how to handle bullying on a quarterly basis.
  • Inclusive environment: Illinois issued non-regulatory guidance relating to the protection of transgender, nonconforming students under the Illinois Human Rights Act (2021).
  • Mental health excused absences: 105 ILCS 5/26-1 (2021) grants all students up to 5 days of excused absences in any school year for mental health reasons.
  • Alternatives to exclusionary discipline:
    • 105 ILCS 5/10-22.6 requires schools to use non-exclusionary discipline practices and must meet with parents and/or guardians prior to using out-of-school suspensions or expulsions.
    • 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7 provides that alternatives to exclusionary discipline be used to address incidents of bullying based on religion, race, ethnicity, or any other category that is identified in the Illinois Human Rights Act.
  • Suicide prevention: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.163(2015) requires a school youth suicide awareness and prevention policy, including protocols for suicide awareness and prevention education.

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: Illinois education standards include life skills competencies for 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

Substantial progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Mental health education: 105 ILCS 110-3 requires the inclusion of mental and emotional health into K-12 health education standards.