The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recently conducted a survey and found less than half of the state’s school districts operate without a nurse on staff.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2022 snapshot report focused on the school nurse workforce. The Department of Health and Education collected staffing data from 94% of public and charter schools in Minnesota. 

Denise Herrmann, a school health nurse consultant at MDH, says the survey found concerning differences between districts. For example, in the 162 school districts where 40% or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, data showed students were three times less likely to have access to nursing or health services than other schools.

The report also found that students in the smallest school districts (less than 500 students), as well as charter schools, had lower access to a professional nurse. Approximately two-thirds of schools in this dataset were public school districts and one-third were charter schools.

Almost half of public school districts (150 of 322, or 47%) served more than 1,000 students, whereas the vast majority (73%) of charter schools served fewer than 500 students. Overall, two in five school districts (public and charter) served 500 students or fewer.

Additional key findings from the report include:

• Overall, less than half (49%) of Minnesota school districts employed a licensed school nurse.  
• Due to their enrollment of more than 1,000 students, only 34% of Minnesota school districts are required, per Minnesota Statute 121A.21, to employ a licensed school nurse. Of these large schools, 93% employed a licensed school nurse, but only 26% of districts below that threshold did.  
• About one in four school districts (26%) did not provide any staff dedicated solely to the role of providing health services for students.  
• Staffing levels and roles varied greatly by district size. Students in the smallest school districts had lower access to a professional nurse.  

“We’re hoping here at MDH, that this sparks the conversation to look a little deeper, and see what could be done to improve that for our students?” Herrmann said. 

According to MDH, during the past two legislative sessions, Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature made significant investments in school support personnel — including school nurses. Investments included $74 million in the 24-25 biennium and $127 million in the 26-27 biennium to support hiring new or increasing current school counselors, psychologists, social workers and licensed school nurses.

The school nurse workforce report also included recommendations for next steps. These recommendations included examining the impact of the current state statute, exploring how school health services are funded and considering new, creative funding strategies for smaller schools or those with higher school needs.

For the full report, visit the MDH School Health Data and Reports webpage.