NC Public Schools Awarded More Than $11 Million to Expand School-Based Mental Health Services

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has been awarded more than $11 million in federal funding to strengthen school-based mental health services, following a recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Education. The two grants received will support school psychology training, recruitment and retention efforts, with a focus on high-need and rural school districts.

The funding is part of more than $208 million awarded nationwide through the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Program.

“It is clear that mental health support is crucial for North Carolina’s public schools to fully support and nurture students,” said State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. “These funds will allow our state to not only better serve our students, but also strengthen this essential talent pipeline.”

The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant will provide $4.8 million over four years for the NC School Psychology Internship Program, known as NC SPIn. The project is designed to expand access to school psychologists by funding salary and housing stipends for school psychologist interns serving in high-need, primarily rural school districts. The grant also supports high-quality supervision for interns and provides training for interns and practicing school psychologists to implement both preventative and intensive mental health interventions for students.

North Carolina was also awarded $6.4 million over four years through the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant to support the NC School Psychologists Supporting our Students (SoS) project. This initiative will increase the number of school psychologists serving high-need districts by providing recruitment and retention stipends. The grant also allocates funding for rural districts to support current educators in becoming trained as school psychologists and returning to serve their local communities, while expanding professional development opportunities to strengthen school psychologists’ capacity to deliver effective mental health interventions for students.

These federal investments support North Carolina’s continued efforts to address student mental health needs and build a sustainable school psychology workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities across the state.