About 3,900 school-based health centers (SBHCs) operate across the United States, providing primary care and behavioral health services directly in schools (see School-Based Health Centers | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps). Despite their visibility in health policy discussions, these programs represent a relatively small proportion of the approximately 100,000 public schools in the United States. Approximately 6.3 million children receive health services at school each year (see Launching Lifelong Health By Improving Health Care For Children, Youth, And Families).

The majority of SBHCs offer primary care and behavioral health services on-site—almost 75% (see Findings From The 2022 National Census Of School-Based Health Centers). Most (65%) are sponsored by federally qualified health centers…