Christian School Leaders' Perspectives on Student Mental Health: A Mixed Methods Study

This convergent parallel mixed methods study examined private Christian school leaders' perceptions of student mental health needs and their schools' capacity to address those needs. Participants included 164 private Christian school leaders who completed a survey; 10 of these leaders participated in semi‐structured interviews. We analyzed survey data with descriptive and inferential statistics, analyzed interview responses with inductive semantic thematic analysis, and integrated both data strands through mixed methods analysis. Results showed that leaders perceived substantial student mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and interpersonal conflict, and reported school responses such as counseling services and family collaboration. Leaders at schools with mental health professionals reported greater perceived student mental health challenges and greater perceived capacity to meet students' needs. Quantitative and qualitative findings converged around leaders' self‐reported commitment to supporting student well‐being. This study contributes to the limited literature on mental health support in private Christian schools and offers insight into how leaders perceive these schools' understanding of and responses to student mental health needs.