Student Experience

How students experience school and its impact on attendance, motivation and academic success

An Important Piece of the Student Motivation Puzzle

Motivation as an important predictor of student achievement

How School Suspensions Affect Student Achievement

Research into the negative effects of suspensions on academic success

Mental Health in High School: The Teacher’s Perspective

The challenges that teachers face in dealing with student mental health

To Help Kids Catch up Academically, Let’s Focus on Friendships

How strong relationships fuel social-emotional development and wellness

CORE Lessons: Measuring the Social and Emotional Sides of Student Success

California’s CORE school districts’ use of student, teacher and parent surveys of school climate to drive school improvement

School-Based Health Care is Key to Helping Student Succeed

The case for expanding school-based health care

Student Experience

By the Numbers

Youth Homelessness

  • 1.2 million

    Pre-K through 12th grade students experiencing homelessness

  • 15%

    Increase in the number of unaccompanied youth in shelters from 2022 to 2023

Source: SchoolHouse Connection

Wraparound Services

  • 60%

    Public schools that use a "community school" or "wraparound services" model, 2023-24 school year

  • 45%

    Public schools that use a "community school" or "wraparound services" model, 2022-23 school year

Source: School Pulse Panel

Student Teacher Ratios

  • 15:1

    Average public school student-teacher ratio in the U.S. for the 2023-24 school year

  • 23:1

    Student-teacher ratio in Utah, the highest in the U.S.

Source: Public School Review

School Meals

  • $170.13

    Average yearly school meal debt per child in the U.S.

  • 1.54 million

    Students across the country whose families must pay for full-priced school meals they cannot afford

Source: Center for American Progress

School Psychologists

  • 1,127

    Average students per school psychologist

  • 500

    Recommended students per school psychologist

Source: National Association of School Psychologists

Girls’ Mental Health

  • 57%

    Teen girls who reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021

  • 36%

    Teen girls who reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2011

Source: CDC

Student-Counselor Ratio

  • 408

    Average number of students per counselor in schools, 2021-22

  • 250

    Recommended number of students per counselor in schools

Source: Chalkbeat

Student Mental Health

  • 28%

    High school students who felt connected to others at school experiencing poor mental health

  • 45%

    High school students who did not feel connected experiencing poor mental health

Source: April 2022 CDC report

School Mental Health Professionals

  • 8%

    Districts with the recommended ratio of school psychologists to students, 2020-21

  • 14%

    Districts with the recommended ratio of counselors to students

Source: Education Week analysis

COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts

  • 87%

    Public schools that agree that the pandemic negatively impacted students' socioemotional development

  • 70%

    Public schools that report an increase in students seeking mental health services

Source: Institute of Education Sciences 2022 School Pulse Panel

Student Experience

All Work

Research Notes: A Talk Tracker Encourages Students to Verbalize Their Thinking

Read More about Research Notes: A Talk Tracker Encourages Students to Verbalize Their Thinking

Learning Curve: Lessons from the Tutoring Revolution in Public Education

Read More about Learning Curve: Lessons from the Tutoring Revolution in Public Education

Baton Rouge Students Fast-Track College — in High School

Read More about Baton Rouge Students Fast-Track College — in High School

Research Notes: In-School Health Centers Reduce Suspensions

Read More about Research Notes: In-School Health Centers Reduce Suspensions

The Pandemic Has Expanded the Work of Schools

Read More about The Pandemic Has Expanded the Work of Schools

A Long-Term Strategy for Funding High-Quality Tutoring

Read More about A Long-Term Strategy for Funding High-Quality Tutoring

The Looming Medicaid Crisis for Children—and Schools

Read More about The Looming Medicaid Crisis for Children—and Schools

Parsing the Evidence on Social-Emotional Learning’s Impact

Read More about Parsing the Evidence on Social-Emotional Learning’s Impact

Research Notes: The Impact of Mentoring on Student Success

Read More about Research Notes: The Impact of Mentoring on Student Success

New Insights into Motivating Students

Read More about New Insights into Motivating Students

Trauma-Informed Teaching, Explained

Read More about Trauma-Informed Teaching, Explained

Legislative Tracker: 2023 Parent-Rights Bills in the States

Read More about Legislative Tracker: 2023 Parent-Rights Bills in the States