By Prerna Arora and Kait Gould 

Editor's Note: School districts across the United States have been asked to refocus mental health efforts in order to continue receiving funding after the Department of Education threatened to cut funding for school-based mental health services in April. The grants, which amount to $1 billion, were part of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — a bill passed in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas — in order to help schools hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers. The funding’s uncertain future coincides with slashes to other efforts related to mental health services, including the training of practitioners. TC faculty Prerna Arora, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, and Kait Gould, lecturer, explain the state of the mental health crisis in classrooms and what the country should do to solve it below. 

The youth mental health crisis in America is no longer emerging—it’s fully here. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Centers for Disease Control data showed that as many as one in five U.S. youth (ages 3-17) reported a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, with almost 70 percent having faced adverse childhood experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened this situation, causing psychological distress to reach critical levels among U.S. youth. By 2021, alarming statistics revealed that over four in 10 (42 percent) young individuals reported persistent sadness and hopelessness, more than one in five (22 percent) seriously considered ending their lives, and approximately one in 10 had attempted suicide.

The picture is just as grim in New York City. With close to 1 million students — many from racially and linguistically diverse backgrounds — our public schools are on the front lines of a mental health emergency. Specifically, at least 20 percent of children and adolescents in the city have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral health issue, often exacerbated by high levels of childhood trauma. In 2021, a concerning 38 percent of NYC high school students reported feeling persistently sad and hopeless (up 11 percent from 2011) and 21 percent of NYC students seriously contemplated suicide.

In the face of this reality, one would expect our leaders to be bolstering mental health support in schools. Instead, the Trump administration has proposed cutting funding for training school-based mental health providers — a move that would be especially damaging in urban school districts like New York’s, where need is high and resources are already stretched thin.

These proposed cuts aren’t just misguided — they’re a direct threat to students’ well-being. For many young people, particularly in under-resourced or marginalized communities, schools are the only place they can access mental health care. Cutting funding for school-based providers won’t just limit services — it will eliminate lifelines. The result? Longer wait times, fewer providers, and more students navigating mental health struggles alone. This puts enormous strain on already overwhelmed educators and creates ripple effects across academic performance, behavior and school climate.

In New York City, there are serious workforce shortages among mental health professionals, with families often waiting weeks or months for appointments and struggling to find providers who speak their language. Schools have become the default system of care, with 70 to 80 percent of students who receive mental health services doing so at school. That access matters. Trusted school staff are often the first to spot when a student is struggling, and the familiar environment can help break down the stigma that keeps too many kids from seeking help.

And the evidence is clear: school-based mental health services work. Studies show they reduce depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation while improving academic engagement and behavior. A national review of scientific data and policy and practice in schools found that students who received mental health support at school had better attendance, higher test scores, and were less likely to be suspended or held back. In short, when we invest in school mental health, we set students up to succeed — in school and in life.

Yet despite this evidence and growing demand, school-based mental health services remain vastly under-resourced — especially in large, urban districts like New York City. Nationally, the gaps are even more staggering. In the 2022–2023 school year, there was just one school psychologist for every 1,119 students — more than double the recommended ratio of 1:500. School counselors and social workers are similarly stretched thin. Only three states meet the national recommendation of one counselor per 250 students. The average is one for every 444. 

These shortages aren’t just numbers—they represent real students who are falling through the cracks. If we are serious about tackling the youth mental health crisis, we must ensure that schools have the people and resources to meet students where they are.

To be sure, decisions about federal funding are complex and often involve balancing competing priorities across many areas. Policymakers face difficult choices, and there are legitimate debates about how best to allocate limited resources. However, cutting funding for school mental health providers — especially amid a youth mental health crisis — is not a neutral decision — it’s a harmful one.

We cannot solve a youth mental health crisis by cutting off the pipeline of people trained to respond to it. The administration’s decision to pull back federal support for programs that train school-based mental health professionals doesn’t just undermine higher education institutions — it undercuts our entire K-12 system. These programs are essential to preparing the diverse, culturally responsive workforce our schools desperately need. 

Without them, we risk leaving a generation of students without the care and connection that can change the trajectory of their lives. This isn’t just a policy misstep — it’s a disinvestment in the future of our students, our schools and our communities. We must reverse course before the damage becomes irreversible.

Teachers College Building

Prerna Arora (left) is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Kaitlin Gould (right) is a full-time lecturer and Ed.M. Program Director in the School Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University.