Do Community Schools Work for High-Needs Students? Evaluating Integrated Student Support Services and Outcomes for Equity

This study examines whether and how community schools’ integrated student support services (academic, socioemotional, health, and family support) contributed to improving whole-child/youth development and reducing systemic inequalities of students’ learning/wellness outcomes across New York State under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Applying a quasi-experimental method with propensity score matching to the state’s 2018–2023 school survey and report card databases, it provides new evidence on the efficacy of community school programs on average and by subgroups (race/ethnicity, poverty, disability, English language learner, and housing status). The results of matched comparisons between community schools and non-community schools are mixed, after considering their differences in terms of student demographics and baseline conditions. Overall, community schools showed policy implementation fidelity with more state funding, policy-aligned practices, and school-based health centers/clinics. However, community schools had no discernable impacts on academic achievement and chronic absenteeism overall, except that the operation of school-based health centers was associated with a reduction in absenteeism. In contrast, community schools had more positive impacts on high school graduation rates, particularly among disadvantaged minority students; the impacts are attributable to policy-aligned practices, set-aside funding, and school-based health center dental programs. Educational policy and research implications are discussed.