School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new federal grant program to help high-need school districts hire and keep school social workers. It authorizes $100 million per year for five years (2026–2030), totaling $500 million, to fund positions in districts that serve the most vulnerable students.
• The goal is to reach a ratio of at least one school social worker for every 250 students, following national recommendations. In schools where most students have intensive needs, the target is even more ambitious — one social worker for every 50 students.
• Social workers funded by these grants would provide counseling, crisis intervention, trauma-informed services, and help students and families overcome barriers like homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of transportation. They would also make home visits and coordinate community resources.
• The bill also establishes a National Technical Assistance Center for School Social Work to study best practices, collect data on social work outcomes, and help states and tribes build their school social work workforce.
• Grants last up to four years and can be renewed, but the money must supplement — not replace — existing federal, state, or local funding for social workers. Only high-need districts are eligible, and contractors may only be hired as a last resort if districts cannot recruit enough employees.