Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Washington

By The Numbers

1,193,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

99,000
Children with major depressionii
50,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:1,408

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

1:14,391

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

1:465

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

Take Action
in Washington

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 COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv 

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

47

39

35

39

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

56,000 / 10.56%

75,000 / 13.98%

85,000 / 15.66%

99,000 / 18.22%

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

Not Asked

40,000 / 59.1% 

38,000 / 47%

50,000 / 49.80%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

56,000 / 10.7%

53,000 / 10.3%

69,000 / 13.50%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

13,000 / 26.7%

13,000 / 26.7%

24,000 / 35.70%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

4,551 / 4.76%

5,142 / 5.11%

5324 / 5.25%

5,633 / 5.49%

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

Not Asked

16,000 / 5.20%

16,000 / 5.2%

15,000 / 5.20%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

37,000 / 6.98%

28,000 / 5.18%

27,000 / 5.01%

26,000 / 4.84%

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

By The Numbers

1,193,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

99,000
Children with major depressionii
50,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:1,408

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

1:14,391

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

1:465

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

Take Action
in Washington

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 COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv 

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

47

39

35

39

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

56,000 / 10.56%

75,000 / 13.98%

85,000 / 15.66%

99,000 / 18.22%

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

Not Asked

40,000 / 59.1% 

38,000 / 47%

50,000 / 49.80%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

56,000 / 10.7%

53,000 / 10.3%

69,000 / 13.50%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

13,000 / 26.7%

13,000 / 26.7%

24,000 / 35.70%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

4,551 / 4.76%

5,142 / 5.11%

5324 / 5.25%

5,633 / 5.49%

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

Not Asked

16,000 / 5.20%

16,000 / 5.2%

15,000 / 5.20%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

37,000 / 6.98%

28,000 / 5.18%

27,000 / 5.01%

26,000 / 4.84%

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: Washington has one school psychologist for every 1,408 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School Social Workers: Washington has one school social worker for every 14,391 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School Counselors: Washington has one school counselor for every 465 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 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:

Substantial progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Teacher/staff training: Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.310.500 (2016) requires each educational district to train educators and other staff on youth suicide screening and referral, and on recognition, screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress, including possible substance use.

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, but schools may contract with Medicaid managed care organizations for school mental health services.
  • 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

Meaningful 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:
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.600.477 (2019) requires every school district to adopt policies and procedures prohibiting harassment, intimidation, and bullying that incorporate state requirements. 
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.300.2851 (2013) requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the office of the education ombuds to convene a work group on school bullying and harassment prevention that will develop, recommend, and implement strategies in all public schools. 
  • Inclusive environment:
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.642.080 (2019) requires every school district to adopt specific policies and procedures prohibiting the harassment, intimidation, and bullying of transgender students. 
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.642.020 (2010) requires the superintendent of public instruction to develop rules and guidelines to eliminate discrimination in schools.
  • Suicide prevention:
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.300.288 (2014) requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to work with state agency and community partners to assist schools in implementing youth suicide prevention activities, including training students in recognizing and responding to signs of suicide.
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.320.294 (2021) requires every public school that maintains a website to publish on its home page website and phone information for mental health assistance organizations including suicide prevention organizations. 
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.210.400 (2020) requires every public school that issues student or staff identification cards to print the contact information for 1) a national suicide prevention organization, and 2) one or more campus, local, state, or national organizations specializing in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, or counseling. 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Enact legislation to address additional healthy school climate policies, such as requiring annual school climate surveys, permitting excused absences for mental health concerns, 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

Substantial 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:
    • Washington has developed K-12 life skills standards that focus on helping students develop awareness, management, and engagement internally and in social settings CASEL. 
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.300.477 (2019) created a social-emotional learning committee to promote and expand social-emotional learning. Among other things, the committee’s role is to develop and implement a statewide framework and identify best practices and guidance for schools. 
    • Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.300.478 (2019) requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to review and revise standards and benchmarks as appropriate.
    • Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.410.270 (2021) The Washington professional education standards board incorporates social-emotional learning standards and benchmarks, including competencies in mental health literacy and anti-bullying strategies. The requirement is also incorporated for school principals. Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.410.273 (2019).

Mental Health Education

Substantial progress achieved

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

 

Current Policy:

  • Mental health education: Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.230.095 (2011) requires that all districts have assessments or other strategies to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn health and fitness, which includes mental health and suicide prevention education.