King County School Health (School Based Health Centers)

School-based health centers offer a comprehensive scope of services including well child exams, immunizations, family planning, and mental health counseling. In addition to addressing health care concerns, they also promote good health for a lifetime through good nutrition education, supportive relationships, and reinforcement of positive self-images. Learn more from the Washington State School-Based Health Alliance.

What began in 1989 as a modest pilot program at Rainier Beach High School is now a model for an effective school-based health care system, providing no-cost medical, mental health, and health care access services directly on campus to over 10,000 elementary, middle and high school students each year across King County. Several community health care partners are part of a system that operates school-based health centers at over 30 elementary, middle and high schools, including Kaiser Permanente, Public Health–Seattle & King County, Neighborcare Health, HealthPoint, International Community Health Services, Seattle Roots, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, and Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (Seattle Children’s Hospital), providing nearly 50,000 health care visits annually.

Funded initially by the Seattle Families and Education Levy, King County’s system of school-based health centers is now funded by the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy (managed by the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning), the Best Starts for Kids Levy, and King County General Funds. The Washington State Department of Health also provides some funding to local SBHCs. School-based health center services funded by King County are coordinated by Public Health–Seattle & King County’s School-Based Partnerships Program (SBPP). SBPP ensures clinics meet quality and equity standards, manages data and evaluation systems, and strengthens collaboration between schools and providers. Its goal is to improve student health, attendance, and readiness to learn by reducing barriers to care and delivering culturally responsive services.