ACSI Research Fellow Program

Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality among school-aged children have been growing in recent years (U.S. Census Bureau 2023; Kieling et al. 2024; CDC 2023). However, there has been limited research investigating the mental health of U.S. Christian school students and educators, as compared with the mental health of those groups in U.S. public schools (Thorton and Miller 2022). At the same time, better mental health and well-being might be expected among Christian school students and educators, given that communal religious participation is correlated with greater levels of happiness and life satisfaction, mental health and physical health, meaning and purpose, and close social relationships (VanderWeele 2017). 

To better understand the current reality of student and educator mental health in Christian schools, the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the School Counseling Mental Health Initiative at Denver Seminary fielded an electronic survey in October 2024 to Christian school educators employed at ACSI member schools in the U.S. An invitation to participate was emailed to all heads of school, administrators, and teachers working at ACSI member schools in the U.S., totaling over 10,000 individual invitations. A total of 1,344 individuals responded to the survey, for a response rate of about 13 percent. In terms of respondent demographics and their school types, responses were roughly representative of ACSI schools in the U.S. as a whole, with the exception of a higher percentage of respondents who said they worked at an ACSI-accredited school. 

The survey asked educators for their perceptions of students’ mental health and their own mental health, school practices relating to mental health, and cell phone policies. While the study did not include student responses or objective mental health data, educators’ perceptions still offer several key insights for understanding the state of mental health in Christian schools. The results of the survey provide insight into the perceptions of Christian school educators in the United States regarding their students’ mental health, school practices and culture when it comes to mental health, and their own well-being.  

The results of the survey are featured in a new report jointly published by ACSI and Cardus, Mental Health and Well-Being in Christian Schools: Educators’ Perspectives. This blog post provides a snapshot of key study findings.  

Key Finding: Student Mental Health 

First, about 80 percent of respondents rated the overall student mental health at their school as “good” or “excellent.” The percentages of “good” or “excellent” responses were highest among heads of school (80 percent) and lowest among teachers (71 percent), with administrators’ percentage closer to that of heads of school (at 77 percent). Thus, a greater percentage of teachers—who typically have the most direct and frequent contact with students—selected a lower-level response than both heads of school and administrators. 

In addition to respondent role, the study’s analysis also explored whether there were differences in perceptions of student mental health based on the characteristics of respondents’ schools—specifically, school size, admissions policy, and levels of education offered. The data show that school size is not correlated with respondents’ perceptions of overall student mental health. 

However, levels of education offered at respondents’ schools (pre-K/elementary, middle school, high school) were correlated with differences in responses. Heads of school and administrators at schools that offered only lower grades (pre-K and elementary) were more likely to rate their students’ mental health as “good” or “excellent,” as compared with their middle or high school counterparts. Similarly, teachers who taught pre-K and elementary grades had a higher assessment of overall student mental health, on average, than did teachers who taught middle or high school grades. 

Differences in how respondents perceived student mental health also emerged based on their school admissions policy. Respondents were asked, “Does your school require parents to be active members of church and/or to sign a statement of faith upon the admission of their children to the school?” Those who answered “yes” were categorized as working in covenantal schools, while those who answered “no” were categorized as working in missional schools. Analyses showed that heads of school and administrators at covenantal schools were more likely to rate overall student mental health as “good” or “excellent.” Responses of teachers at these two types of schools, however, did not differ significantly. 

Key Finding: School Actions and Priorities 

The survey found that respondents who reported that their schools paid attention to mental health gave more favorable assessments of student mental health, on average. These forms of attention included prioritizing mental health along with academic and spiritual development, showing compassion and understanding to those struggling with mental health challenges, openly acknowledging and advocating for the importance of mental health, providing information about mental health and support options, and being equipped as a school to address students’ mental health and wellness concerns. 

In addition, respondents who reported integration of their school’s Christian mission with mental health approaches gave higher ratings of student mental health, on average. Forms of integration included school counselors or health professionals offering spiritually informed support options, religious service or devotional practices incorporating themes of mental health awareness and resilience, and programs that successfully connected students’ mental health needs with their spiritual mission. 

Finally, almost all respondents who rated their students’ mental health as “good” or “excellent” affirmed that their school had a cell phone policy in place (98 percent). Out of a number of different phone policy options, the response option that was most highly correlated with respondents’ perception of “good” or “excellent” student mental health was collecting phones at the start of each day and returning them at the end. 

Key Finding: Educator Well-Being 

A strong relationship was observed between respondents’ assessment of their own well-being and their perceptions of student mental health. Those who reported feeling tired, worn out, physically exhausted, or emotionally exhausted were less likely to rate their students’ overall mental health as “good” or “excellent.” Respondents were also more likely to give a favorable rating of student mental health if they viewed their school’s faith-based approach as supporting their own mental health and wellness. 

Conclusions 

The great majority of respondents rated student mental health at their schools as “good” or “excellent,” which is an encouraging finding (although differences between educator roles, grade levels offered or taught, and admissions policy were observed). The study findings suggest that Christian schools can positively address student mental health by providing an education that addresses the whole person, showing compassion and advocating for those who are struggling, and sharing information and resources to support students’ well-being. Schools should also consider cell phone policies as an important way to address student well-being, given the link between teen smart phone use and negative mental health outcomes (Haidt and Pratt 2024). 

Further, respondents who reported integration of their school’s Christian mission with mental health approaches at their school rated their students’ mental health higher, on average. This finding suggests that schools that connect mental health with their Christian mission are thus not adding a secular layer to faith-based education but rather deepening their witness to the holistic redemption that Scripture envisions for human life. 

Finally, Christian schools should consider the well-being of both students and staff as part of any mental health approach. Schools may wish to consider positive actions such as investment in staff support systems and manageable workloads; to the degree that these or similar actions benefit educator well-being, they can in turn help educators to model well-being to their students. 

This study underscores that Christian schools have the opportunity and responsibility to cultivate environments in which student and educator well-being is valued, prioritized, and supported. At the same time, a school’s Christian mission can be beneficial to the mental health and well-being of both students and educators. This goes beyond simply offering support services or restricting cell phone use to forming communities grounded in love of God and neighbor and in which emotional and spiritual well-being are nurtured together. 

References 

Association of Christian Schools International. 2019–2020 Tuition & Salary Survey Member Report. ACSI, 2020. https://www.acsi.org/docs/default-source/website-publishing/research/acsi_tuitionsalary_report-2019-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=9a654d6_2. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. CDC, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/dstr/index.html. 

Haidt, J., and S. Pratt. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Random House, 2024. 

Kieling, C., C. Buchweitz, A. Caye et al. “Worldwide Prevalence and Disability from Mental Disorders Across Childhood and Adolescence: Evidence from the Global Burden of Disease Study.” JAMA Psychiatry 81, no. 4 (2024): 347–56. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5051. 

Thorton, E.M., and B. Miller. “Mental Health and Well-Being in Faith-Based Schools: A Qualitative Study.” In Leading Insights: Mental Health and Well-Being, edited by L. E. Swaner, 31–41. ACSI, 2022. 

US Census Bureau. National Survey of Children’s Health. USCB, 2023. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/nsch.html. 

VanderWeele, T.J. “Religious Communities and Human Flourishing.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 26, no 5 (2017): 476–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417721526. 

Wilson, A., E. Meier Thornton, K.L. Hauser, L. Miller, B. Volpone and B.M. Miller. “Student Mental Health Support in Private Christian Schools: Perspectives and Needs.” Journal of Psychology and Christianity 42, no. 3 (2023): 187–207.