Dive Brief:
- Most teachers check on students' mental health at least weekly, spending an average of 8 hours each week providing supports, according to a Rand Corp. analysis of its 2026 State of the American Teacher Survey released Wednesday.
- While nearly all teachers reported there are student mental well-being challenges at their schools, half said it has become more difficult to provide supports compared to two years ago. They said in-school and out-of-school challenges like lack of resources, families' economic hardships and a divisive political climate are to blame.
- Students' mental health challenges can lead to chronic absenteeism, behavioral challenges and disengagement from learning. Teachers are "increasingly on the front lines" in addressing student well-being, Rand Corp. said.
Dive Insight:
The most common student well-being supports teachers said they provided were checking in on students, helping foster empathy or peer relationships, and collaborating with a school counselor or social worker. Teachers reported referring students or families to social services as the least frequent method of support, although nearly 75% of teachers still did so at least once during the 2025-26 school year.
Higher percentages of high school and middle school teachers — compared to elementary educators — reported more moderate or serious challenges in most areas impacting student well-being. For example, 77% of high school teachers cited student apathy as a challenge compared to 57% of elementary teachers.
However, high school and middle school teachers were less likely to frequently provide mental health supports compared to elementary educators. About 29% of high school teachers, for instance, said they frequently helped students navigate home or personal issues compared to 48% of elementary teachers.
About 2 of the 8 hours per week that teachers spent addressing student well-being took place outside of teachers' regular contract working hours, Rand Corp. found. Teachers who reported that they provided more student well-being supports were more likely to say that teaching was emotionally draining.
Teachers who said it had become harder to support student well-being since fall 2024 were more likely to say they were experiencing burnout, frequent job-related stress, difficulty coping with that stress, and symptoms of depression.
The analysis, which was sponsored by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, was drawn from the 2026 State of the American Teacher survey, a nationally representative poll of 829 K-12 public school teachers.
To help teachers support student well-being, the Rand Corp. analysis recommends districts implement wraparound services for students and families such as mental health care, food assistance and housing support. Schools could also partner with community organizations to help address these needs, the analysis said.
