School health services staff can help all students with preventive care such as flu shots and vision and hearing screening, as well as acute and emergency care. Qualified professionals such as school nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, health educators, physicians, physician assistants, and allied health personnel provide these services.
For students with chronic health conditions, school nurses and other health care providers play a large role in the daily management of their conditions. School health services staff also are responsible for coordinating care by communicating with the student’s family and health care providers so that they can stay healthy and ready to learn.
Figure 1 shows how school health services uses various methods to support students.
Acute and Emergency Care
Care Coordination
Chronic Disease Management
Family Engagement
Figure 1. School Health Services Model.
- Chronic Health Conditions in School Settings [PPT – 6 MB][PDF – 4 MB]
- CDC Podcast on School Health Services
- Infographic: Mental Health of School Nurses in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic: [PDF – 150 KB]—Highlights from a national survey conducted March 7-30, 2022.
- Research Brief: Addressing the Needs of Students with Chronic Health Conditions: Strategies for Schools [PDF – 269KB]—About 25% of children aged 2 through 8 years have a chronic health condition, including asthma, obesity, other physical conditions, and behavior or learning problems. 1
- Research Brief: Chronic Health Conditions and Academic Achievement [PDF – 288KB]—In the United States, more than 40% of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic health condition, 1 such as asthma, obesity, other physical conditions, and behavior/learning problems.
- Fact Sheet: Health Insurance for Children: How Schools Can Help [PDF – 1MB]
- Fact Sheet: Managing Chronic Health Conditions in Schools: The Role of the School Nurse [PDF – 650KB]
- National Center for Medical Home Implementation – School Nurses Linking with the Medical Home
- School Health Profiles
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
