Take Action Mental Health in Your State

New York

By The Numbers

1,721,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

179,000
Children with major depressionii
103,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:648

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

1:773

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

1:288

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

Take Action
in New York

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 NEW YORK COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv 

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

17

14

12

9

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

107,000 / 7.28%

161,000 / 11.46%

157,000 / 11.4%

179,000 / 13.29%

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

Not Asked

83,000 / 55.1%

85,000 / 59.1%

103,000 / 60.9%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

102,000 / 7.5%

105,000 / 7.8%

109,000 / 8.3%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

26,000 / 27.2%

22,000 / 21.9%

29,000 / 28.3%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

27,566 / 11.22%

22,429 / 9.49%

22,553 / 9.15%

22,063 / 9.10%

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

120,733 / 35.6%

56,000 / 8.8%

49,000 / 8.3%

48,000 / 7.7%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

88,000 / 5.99%

57,000 / 4.04%

47,000 / 3.41%

52,000 / 3.87%

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.
New York

By The Numbers

1,721,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

179,000
Children with major depressionii
103,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:648

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

1:773

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

1:288

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

Take Action
in New York

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 NEW YORK COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv 

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

17

14

12

9

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

107,000 / 7.28%

161,000 / 11.46%

157,000 / 11.4%

179,000 / 13.29%

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

Not Asked

83,000 / 55.1%

85,000 / 59.1%

103,000 / 60.9%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

102,000 / 7.5%

105,000 / 7.8%

109,000 / 8.3%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

26,000 / 27.2%

22,000 / 21.9%

29,000 / 28.3%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

27,566 / 11.22%

22,429 / 9.49%

22,553 / 9.15%

22,063 / 9.10%

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

120,733 / 35.6%

56,000 / 8.8%

49,000 / 8.3%

48,000 / 7.7%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

88,000 / 5.99%

57,000 / 4.04%

47,000 / 3.41%

52,000 / 3.87%

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: New York has one school psychologist for every 648 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School Social Workers: New York has one school social worker for every 773 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School Counselors: New York has one school counselor for every 288 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Invest in increasing 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 policy encourages, but does 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:

Little or no progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Teacher/staff training: State educational policies include information, but do not require training, on mental health and suicide prevention, except in the context of school safety.

 

Policy Opportunity:

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

Funding Supports

Little or no progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Medicaid coverage: State Medicaid program does not 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:

  • 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 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

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:
    • Education Law § 13 (2014) requires that school districts create and distribute policies and procedures to create “a school environment that is free from harassment, bullying and discrimination.”
    • Education Law § 13 (2014) provides for the development of measured, balanced and age-appropriate responses to instances of harassment, bullying or discrimination.
    • Education Law § 801-a (2014) requires K-12 instruction, include a component on civility, citizenship, and character education, with a focus on discouraging acts of harassment, bullying, and discrimination.

 

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

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: ew York has developed benchmarks for K-12 life skills competencies, but they are not required (CASEL). 

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Establish existing education 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: Education Law § 804 (2018) requires that all schools’ health education programs include mental health and the relation of physical and mental health.