Image by Nino Carè from Pixabay
The World Health Organization reports that limited access to quality education sharply increases the risk of illness and early death. In other words, education functions as a determinant of health just as fundamentally as healthcare access or genetics. Furthermore, the U.S. federal government formally classifies “Education Access and Quality” as one of the five critical domains within the Social Determinants of Health framework.
Decades of evidence have shown that higher education levels are associated with longer life expectancy. Education strengthens core skills, reasoning, emotional regulation, and health literacy, which play a direct role in shaping health outcomes. There are also many social factors contributing to this. Adults without a high school diploma are twice as likely to be unemployed, and unemployment increases the risk of depression and food insecurity. Furthermore, education reduces the rate of poverty by 38%, and people in poverty are at higher risk of poor nutrition, stress-induced illness, and unsafe housing. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health.
Despite an overwhelming amount of research indicating that education is crucial to public health, the federal government has detrimentally taken steps toward defunding essential education programs. This will limit the resources available to students, setting off a domino effect of poorer school environments and declining educational outcomes. In June 2025, the Learning Policy Institute reported that the U.S. Department of Education withheld $6.2 billion in federal funding intended for after-school services, summer programs, and support programs for English-learner students. Beyond the immediate freeze, structural defunding is accelerating. McKinsey & Company predicted that federal funding for K–12 districts could drop by as much as 22%, or about $24 billion, by the next school year as emergency federal relief funds expire.
Here are some ways to help:
- Advocate for stable federal funding. Email your congressional representatives with your thoughts and submit comments during U.S. Department of Education budget periods.
- Support or volunteer with community schools & wraparound programs. DonorsChoose is a program where you can directly fund classroom needs: https://www.donorschoose.org/. Communities In Schools is one of the largest nonprofits working inside schools to provide crisis help and food access for at-risk youth: https://communitiesinschools.org/
Sources:
- https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/equity-and-health/world-report-on-social-determinants-of-health-equity
- https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6823919/
- https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/unemployment-earnings-education.htm
- https://www.nber.org/papers/w19716
- https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/states-face-uncertainty-k-12-funding-remains-unreleased
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/from-surplus-to-scarcity-k-12-districts-brace-for-leaner-years
