Ashe County School District

Ashe County School District, located in Jefferson, North Carolina, is a U.S. state government entity that has been registered to receive federal awards since September 2009. The district serves as a prime recipient of federal grant funding focused on enhancing student safety, mental health services, and educational support initiatives. As a rural school district, Ashe County School District has demonstrated a strong commitment to securing federal funding to address critical challenges in education, student welfare, and school safety through its engagement with multiple federal grant programs and partnerships with regional and state institutions.

The district has established itself as an active participant in federal grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Recent prime grant awards include a $2,020,977 School Safety National Activities grant (CFDA 84.184) focused on integrating school psychologists into a rural school mental health model, a $762,730 School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) grant to improve student safety and mental health services, and a restorative justice initiative awarded in October 2022 through the Bureau of Justice Assistance's STOP School Violence Program in collaboration with RTI International. The district has also received numerous sub-grant awards through partnerships with major regional and state entities, including Appalachian State University (GEAR UP Partnership serving 9,500 students across a four-grade cohort model in Western North Carolina), the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (Title funding, CARES Act, ESSER II, and ESSER III relief funds), the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (pre-kindergarten services and COVID-19 screening testing programs), and Research Triangle Institute. These grants have supported the district's comprehensive approach to mental health integration, restorative justice practices, early childhood education, pandemic response initiatives, and evidence-based educational programs designed to enhance school climate, improve student outcomes, and maintain safe learning environments.