The Cost of Health-Related Student Absences

The Financial Implications of School District Clinic Operations 

Health care offered in schools is a critical part of increasing access to excellent health care for all children. And because of the link between student health and achievement, the role of healthcare in schools is crucial. School-based health clinics provide a comprehensive array of services to students from vaccinations and care for chronic conditions to sports physicals and mental health care. 

When you think about the nurse’s office in your district, you might not think about the financial benefits of offering excellent student health care. Hopefully after reading this blog post, you’ll consider the connection between a school based health center, student achievement, operational costs, and even cost saving benefits for schools. 
 

Although it’s not a line item in your district budget, there is a cost associated with students missing school. 

Illness is one of the top reasons that students miss school, and one article estimates “the total loss of funding associated with student absenteeism each year is $10.7 billion dollars in the US.” 
 
In the wake of COVID-19, school nurses have found themselves in an interesting role at school. Tasked with school safety, school nurses had to exercise extreme caution around symptoms, and for many students, that’s translated to going home at the first sign of illness.  

But we’re living in different times now, and school nurses have an uncanny ability to determine whether a student should stick it out with a runny nose and head back to class, or if further examination is needed. 
 
One district in Texas goes as far as creating reports to see which students are absent on a regular basis due to illness. Health data can be easily aggregated and shared to help the school board make decisions as well.

“The way that the data is collected, it can be presented at a board meeting, or it can be presented at a district advisory board meeting where they can see the data: ‘This is what our data is showing us, and this is the direction that we need to go.’”

– Linda Rivero – District Registered Nurse 

The Benefits of School-Based Health Outcomes 

Chronic absenteeism and student health are, according to research, intricately connected. And for public schools, funding is based on student attendance. In California, for instance, funding is based on the Average Daily Attendance, not enrollment. That means that school districts with higher average rates of chronic absenteeism, which often statistically correlate with lower-income communities, may be losing out on school funding at higher rates than other communities. 

Students who are chronically absent are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors, are more likely to have poor health outcomes in adulthood. According to the Academy of Pediatrics, teenage pregnancy is the leading cause of dropouts among adolescent girls. Great healthcare in schools can help students stay on track to graduate from high school. That’s beneficial simply for the sake of student success. 
 
You might have heard one perspective that it’s not the role of the school to offer health care, but to educate. And while on the surface that may seem true, that perspective overlooks an important factor: when students aren’t in the classroom learning, that costs the district more money. 
 
To put it in the simplest terms: students who are healthy are less likely to be absent, and since funding is tied to attendance and enrollment, students who are healthy and present mean more revenue for your school district. 
  

How Great Health Support in School Helps the Community 

If you’re feeling like every year you’re trying to do more with less, you’re not alone. Many districts across the country are facing shrinking budgets, making access to funds to support school health clinic operations more challenging. As you engage in conversations with school district leaders and your school board about funding for health clinic operations, you might want to keep the following facts at the ready: 

How School Health Providers Can Benefit from Medicaid Reimbursements 

While Medicaid has long been associated with special education, with Medicaid expansion and Free Care, your district might have an opportunity for greater revenue for health services.  

The School District of Pickens County in South Carolina is rural, so many students see a school nurse for care long before they see a primary care physician. When they started using an electronic health records system, they were able to reallocate school staff away from focusing on Medicaid and back to their intended role: school nurse. Additionally, rather than prioritizing notes for students who qualify for Medicaid, the district found themselves keeping more detailed notes for all students. 

“Not only did it save money, it made money for us…Medicaid billing is the huge part that has been the most beneficial for us.”

– Angela Watson, Director of Health Services, The School District of Pickens County in South Carolina

Mental Health Support to Keep Kids in School 

With the increase in mental health challenges impacting students across the country, school avoidance has become a bigger challenge for districts. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, or another diagnosis, it can be incredibly hard for students living with mental illness to attend school. And even if they make it to class, their mental illness can make it hard to be an active participant, and that takes a toll on student outcomes. 

According to the Department of Education, students with disabilities are 1.5 times more likely to be chronically absent from school than students without disabilities. 

Supporting students with mental health resources can make a real difference in keeping students in school. And having visibility into data around students’ health can help health professionals provide better, more personalized support. 

What You Can Do 

If know you want to amp up your health program to keep students in the classroom, here are a few actions you can take.