Livingston Union School District (LUSD), a small, high-need district in California’s Central Valley, invested in a collaborative, equity-driven counseling model that has helped to boost student outcomes across several crucial metrics, according to a case study from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools.
Through sustained funding, strong leadership and clearly defined counselor roles, researchers found that the district can serve as a model for how comprehensive, equity-centered school counseling can drive meaningful outcomes for diverse student populations.
“Through strategic resource allocation and collaborative leadership, guided by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model and sustained through targeted funding, LUSD has demonstrably improved critical student outcomes,” the report states. “These improvements include significant reductions in suspension rates and chronic absenteeism, alongside the cultivation of a more positive school climate, even amidst the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These gains underscore the crucial importance of maintaining low student-to-counselor ratios, ensuring clear roles for counseling staff, and implementing data-driven interventions responsive to the needs of historically underserved students.”
The ASCA comprehensive model guides student supports across the district by providing a research-based framework that helps to ensure counselors focus on student needs, not administrative tasks. Surveys with LUSD leaders found the district continues to adapt the model to address the needs of foster youth, English learners and newcomer students.
Administrators, counselors, teachers and parents across the district emphasized the critical role of counseling in supporting student mental health, equity and achievement, and how collaboration among counselors, teachers, students and families has been key to the overall improvement. Additionally, they said that data-driven practices and monthly check-ins have helped to sustain improvements in attendance and school climate.
Findings
Livingston Union SD has been recognized for maintaining lower absenteeism compared to statewide averages by organizations including Attendance Works and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. However, like most local educational agencies nationwide, the district saw chronic absenteeism rates surge after COVID-19.
Rates rose from 4.9 percent in 2019 to 18.3 percent in 2023, with English learners, Latino youth and students with disabilities among the subgroups disproportionately affected. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate declined to 14.2 percent in 2024.
Findings also show that suspension rates dropped from 3.4 percent in 2022 to 2.8 percent in 2023, below the state average, and that Latino youth and students with disabilities showed the greatest improvements. Gains were attributed by those surveyed to counseling services, restorative practices and offering alternatives to suspension.
Additionally, while about 22 percent of students still reported experiencing frequent sadness, 89 percent of students reported a sense of belonging in 2024; 72 percent reported feeling safe at school; and about 80 percent reported being strongly academically motivated and receiving social-emotional learning supports.
System-wide structures for teacher collaboration and counseling help to ensure consistent supports across schools, while collaboration between counselors, teachers and families has enabled responsive, local equity-focused practices, according to the case study. Counselors reported using data to provide targeted interventions such as small groups and one-on-one support.
Recommendations
Researchers noted that the methods employed by Livingston Union SD provide a replicable model for other districts seeking to strengthen their student support infrastructures. Recommendations for state and local policymakers include:
- Prioritizing sustained funding for comprehensive counseling programs statewide
- Establishing and strengthening school counselor role clarity and collaborative structures
- Implementing data-driven counseling models responsive to school and community needs
- Promoting adaptability and equity-focused practices within counseling programs
- Establishing formal state mechanisms for scaling up promising student-centered strategies
“LUSD’s adaptive strategies, commitment to program fidelity, and sustained stakeholder engagement offer invaluable lessons for educational leaders,” researchers wrote. “The evidence reinforces that effective school counseling is a foundational pillar for advancing educational equity and promoting holistic student well-being.
“As educational communities grapple with opportunity gaps and the complex needs of a diverse student body, they also face a pressing national student mental health crisis,” the report continues. “LUSD’s proactive and holistic model provides a clear roadmap for addressing this challenge, proving that comprehensive school counseling is not a luxury but an essential component of the educational infrastructure required to foster student well-being and advance academic opportunity in the 21st century.”
