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What is Comprehensive School Health?

Health and education are strongly connected: healthy students are better learners, and better-educated individuals are healthier. Research shows that comprehensive school health approaches can lead to improvements in children's academic achievement, as well as in their health and well-being - improving their quality of life and encouraging healthy behaviours that last a lifetime.

The Comprehensive School Health framework has four unique but integrated pillars that support and enhance the long-term health of youth and their educational future. Focusing on each of these pillars helps to ensure that students are better able to realize their full potential as learners and as healthy, productive members of society.

• Social and Physical Environment


• Teaching and Learning


• Programs, Partnerships and Services


• Healthy School Policy

Comprehensive School Health:

• Recognizes that healthy young people learn better and achieve more


• Understands that schools can directly influence students' health and behaviours


• Encourages healthy lifestyle choices and promotes students' health and well-being


• Incorporates health into all aspects of school and learning


• Links health and education issues and systems


• Needs the participation and support of families and the community at large

Visit Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health for more information on healthy schools and to view the Comprehensive School Health framework.