Although students should learn to be independent and responsible for their own grades, mental health can affect academic performance because of stressors both inside and outside of school; therefore, accommodations and resources should be available to an extent for students suffering from mental health issues.
Mental health issues are currently at an all-time high, and these problems matter now more than ever. Mental health controls your behaviors, thoughts, and feelings (Ambrosio and Amendola). Like many things, “it exists on a spectrum, and everyone experiences fluctuations in their mental well-being throughout their lives” (Ambrosio and Amendola).
Some of the people that suffer the most from poor mental health are students. Students have a lot of things all going on at once that some non-students don’t even think about. Common mental health stressors that students face are the feeling that their grades define them, not fitting in, bullying, conflicts with their peers, frequent change, high expectations from their parents/guardians/teachers, financial stress at home, stress related to their identities, abuse, and lack of mental health resources (Ambrosio and Amendola). Current events severely affect student mental health. Students of minorities can be greatly affected nowadays with all of the racism, homophobia, and transphobia growing in American society. In a poll from April 2022, it was found that almost 75% of parents in America share the belief that their children would benefit from therapy. One can imagine that that percent has only grown since 2022. LGBTQ+ students are some of the most prone to mental health issues, especially because of recent anti-trans and anti-queer legislation. Therefore, students that identify that way may need a little more extra help (Flannery).
This mental health crisis can severely interfere with a student’s ability to be successful in school. Stressors can affect a student’s learning by decreasing their interest and motivation in class, increasing absences and late arrivals, causing focus and memory issues, poor decision-making, sleepiness, and causing them to receive poor grades from incomplete assignments (Ambrosio and Amendola). Mental health issues can have a serious impact on a student’s academic performance and can result in even lasting damage to their GPA, hindering their opportunities in the future. Statistics show that depression and lower GPAs go hand in hand, with the connection growing when paired with anxiety. Mental health problems can affect many areas of students’ lives, reducing their quality of life, academic achievement, physical health, and satisfaction with the college experience, and negatively impacting relationships with friends and family members. These issues can also have long-term consequences for students, affecting their future employment, learning potential, and overall health. (“Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues – Suicide Prevention Resource Center”). Poor mental health can really just ruin everything, only making the struggle harder.
Gifted students specifically can also suffer from a different set of mental health related-issues. Gifted-kid burnout stems from things like a fear of failing, not enough freedom, a busy schedule, the belief that their performance decides their worth, classes not going at their pace, and perfectionism (“Gifted Student Burnout at School: What to Look For & How to Prevent It”). Gifted students are overlooked but can still suffer greatly from the pressures of school. Gifted students can even face their own set of stressors that non-gifted students aren’t impacted by. Davidson Academy suggests that, “Educators could consider reducing workload or extending deadlines when they recognize a student is feeling burned out. Gifted students still need challenging work, but they may need a lighter lift while recovering” (“Gifted Student Burnout at School: What to Look For & How to Prevent It”).
There are many possible solutions for this problem, like accommodations, more mental health professional staff in schools, zen rooms, and mental health days. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “Section 504 and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are both federal regulations put in place to protect the rights of children with disabilities, including those with mental health concerns, guaranteeing that all children have a free and appropriate public education” (“Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School”). It is quite literally the law that students suffering from mental health issues have the right to accommodations. IEP and 504 plans are two different types of accommodation plans, offering many different types of services (“Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School”). There are programs in place already to help combat this issue. Parents can request an evaluation if they believe their child’s mental health is at all affecting their performance in school (“Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School”). There is a problem here because some parents don’t care or don’t believe their child. Therefore, adding to the issue. Some possible accommodations mentally ill students can benefit from are: a quiet testing space, extra time for exams, recorded lessons/lectures, and/or more relaxed attendance policies. Accommodations can be received through contacting a school’s disability services office (“Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students”). There are many ways for students to be helped. Teachers are the only people notified about a student’s accommodations. It is confidential information (“Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students”). Students don’t have to worry about their peers finding out things they’re not comfortable sharing.
In an interview with Galway English teacher Ms. Ostrander, she explained how she wishes schools had more staff to assist with the mental health of students and that schools had zen rooms for students to decompress. “In my dream world, there would be a lot more counselors. We’re so lacking with that,” (Ostrander) she said when asked about her thoughts on combating student mental health issues. In response to a remark about larger schools being especially understaffed in the mental health department, Ostrander said, “…kids slip through the cracks and nobody knows. Then, you’re getting into serious drug issues and alcoholism, and all those things because that’s all that they can do to get through the day. They’re just trying to get through, and they just want to be done with school” (Ostrander). In regard to the idea of Zen Dens, Ostrander explained, “…students proposed there would be some room in this building with low lighting, pillows, soft music, stuffed animals, whatever. So that kids can just go in there and gather themselves. Then, they can go onto their next class. And, I love that because then it’s giving students ownership. It’s hard because students have to sign in with somebody and make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be. If a student is having a mental health situation/crisis, the last thing they’re going to be thinking about is, ‘Well I need to go sign in with my study hall teacher'” (Ostrander).
Mental health days have the potential to be extremely helpful in a school setting. Some students suffer from things that others don’t. Letting them have mental health days can help to even the playing field. All student needs are different and should be met. Youth mental health goes severely unspoken about. Kids can have big problems too. There are days when mentally ill students just can’t get anything done. Therefore, they should be able to take mental health days. Everyone just has “one of those days” sometimes. Mental health days always being an option helps keep students motivated because students always know that they can take a break when they need to. House Bill 2191 (put into action BY students) in Oregon allows students mental health days off from school. Parents call in the absence and report it as a mental health day. The school tracks the number of mental health days a student takes. If too many, they get referred to a school mental health professional. This helps catch things early on. This is a real system in place to make sure that everyone is feeling alright, and students can’t just use it as a free day off. (“Hailey Hardcastle: Why students should have mental health days | TED Talk”).
Students need to be shown that they should care about their mental health. Learning how to properly take care of yourself, both mentally and physically, is very important, especially at a young age. Physical health and mental health need to be viewed equally in society and actually do go hand in hand. There shouldn’t be so much stigma around mental health. Your mind is just as important as your body.
Works Cited
Ambrosio, Lauren, and Laura Amendola. “Understanding How Poor Mental Health Impacts School Performance.” Penn Foster, 31 May 2024, https://www.pennfoster.edu/blog/can-poor-mental-health-affect-school-performance. Accessed 22 September 2025.
“Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues – Suicide Prevention Resource Center.” Suicide Prevention Resource Center, October 2020, https://sprc.org/consequences-of-student-mental-health-issues/. Accessed 22 September 2025.
Flannery, Mary Ellen. “Mental Health in Schools: The Kids Are Not All Right | NEA.” National Education Association, 20 July 2022, https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/mental-health-schools-kids-are-not-all-right. Accessed 22 September 2025.
“Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School.” National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), https://www.nami.org/kids-teens-and-young-adults/kids-and-parents/getting-your-child-mental-health-support-and-accommodations-in-school/. Accessed 22 September 2025.
“Gifted Student Burnout at School: What to Look For & How to Prevent It.” Davidson Academy, August 2025, https://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/blog/gifted-student-burnout-and-how-to-prevent-it/. Accessed 22 September 2025.
“Hailey Hardcastle: Why students should have mental health days | TED Talk.” TED Talks, 11 May 2020, https://www.ted.com/talks/hailey_hardcastle_why_students_should_have_mental_health_days. Accessed 22 September 2025.
Ostrander, Kristin. Personal interview. 18 September 2025
“Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students.” Active Minds, 27 July 2023, https://activeminds.org/blog/mental-health-accommodations/. Accessed 22 September 2025.
