The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released district-level findings from the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) on the Healthy Youth Web site. SHPPS is a national study periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices.

These new district-level data suggest that while improvements are being made in practices around some health issues, there are issues that still need improvement. SHPPS data show:

• The percentage of districts with school health policies and practices related to violence, bullying, and suicide prevention has increased since 2000.
• The majority of districts require high schools to provide health education on HIV, STD and substance use prevention, however, fewer districts require elementary and middle schools to provide age-appropriate education in these areas.
• Less than 2% of districts had policies requiring schools to provide health services such as testing for HIV, STDs, and pregnancy.

School policies and practices play an important role in supporting student health. Reversing the decline of school policies and practices regarding substance use, HIV, and STD prevention is critical to addressing these priority public health issues.

Included in this new report are results on school policies and practices, such as health education; health services and counseling, psychological and social services; and healthy and safe school environment. Additional materials include two fact sheets highlighting key 2016 results and trends over time (2000-2016). To access these materials and learn more about SHPPS, visit: www.cdc.gov/shpps/.