Access to free menstrual products in the United States has widened considerably over the past several years, mostly through state legislation covering public schools. As of January 2026, 27 states and Washington, D.C. had passed laws designed to expand that access.
Availability on the ground is less uniform than the policy count suggests. State laws differ in funding, grade coverage, and whether products must be stocked in bathrooms, and national survey data shows that a large share of students still cannot find free products where they need them.
This report pulls together the current policy count, national student survey data, and state-level policy research to show where free products are available, how availability has changed, and where gaps remain.
Key Highlights
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As of January 2026, 27 states and Washington, D.C. had passed laws to further access to free menstrual products in schools.
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State laws fall into four broad situations: products required and funded, required but unfunded, funded without a statewide requirement, and neither required nor funded.
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The share of teens who rarely or never find free period products in school bathrooms fell from 53% in 2023 to 39% in 2025.
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Reported difficulty finding free products in public bathrooms fell from 64% in 2023 to 50% in 2025.
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In 2025, 24% of teens said they had struggled to afford period products, rising to 34% among lower-income students.
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33% of teens reported missing class time because they lacked access to period products, and 39% said a lack of access left them unable to do their best schoolwork.
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At least 24 states and Washington, D.C. provide free menstrual products in correctional facilities, and at least three states have policies covering homeless shelters, according to an earlier NCSL policy review.
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77% of Americans support free access to period products in public school bathrooms, per 2024 polling cited by the Alliance for Period Supplies.
Free Period Products Are Available in More U.S. Schools
The clearest national indicator is legislative. As of January 2026, 27 states plus Washington, D.C. had passed laws to further access to free menstrual products in schools, according to PERIOD. and the Alliance for Period Supplies.
Those laws are not equivalent to one another. The Alliance for Period Supplies sorts states into four broad situations: products required and funded, products required but not funded, funding available without a statewide requirement, and no requirement or dedicated funding.
Funding is only one axis of difference. Laws also vary on which grades are covered, whether elementary schools are included, whether public colleges and universities fall under the requirement, whether products must be placed in bathrooms specifically, and whether implementation is statewide or left to individual districts.
Policy coverage and actual product availability are separate measures. PERIOD.'s 2026 advocacy guidance notes that passing a law does not by itself put products in bathrooms.
Implementation depends on state funding, district procurement, dispenser installation, restocking, which bathrooms are covered, who maintains supply, and whether students know where to find products.
Support for school-based access is broad. A 2024 national poll cited by the Alliance for Period Supplies found that 77% of Americans back free access to period products in public school bathrooms.
Access Has Improved, but Gaps Remain
The 2025 State of the Period Study, which surveys teens about their own experiences, records measurable improvement in both school and public settings.
The share of teens who said they rarely or never find free period products in school bathrooms fell from 53% in 2023 to 39% in 2025.
Reported difficulty finding free products in public bathrooms fell from 64% to 50% over the same two years.
Both measures moved 14 percentage points, a consistent direction across two different settings.
The remaining shares are still large. In 2025, roughly two in five teens rarely or never found free products in school bathrooms, and half reported difficulty in public bathrooms.
One qualification applies to all of these figures. The study asks teens what they encounter. It does not conduct a physical audit of school facilities, so it measures reported experience rather than verified stock levels.
Affordability Still Limits Access
Cost remains a constraint even where products are commercially available. In the 2025 study, 24% of teens said they had struggled to afford period products.
Among lower-income students, that figure rose to 34%. PERIOD. separately reports that nearly one in four students in the U.S. faces period poverty, defined as inadequate or limited access to menstrual products or menstrual health resources, often because of financial constraints.
Teens in the same 2025 research reported an average of $40 per month spent on menstrual products within their household. This is a self-reported figure from a teen survey and should not be read as a measured national average household cost.
Affordability and availability are measured separately in this data. Free products in schools and public facilities are one route to access for the roughly one in four students who report difficulty paying for them.
Lack of Access Can Affect School Participation
The 2025 study also asked teens about time spent in class. 33% of teens reported missing class time because they did not have access to period products.
A further 39% said a lack of access had left them unable to do their best schoolwork. Both figures refer to missed class time and reduced participation. Neither measures full days of absence.
One local implementation result is frequently cited alongside these figures. Earlier research referenced by the Alliance for Period Supplies found a 2.4% increase in attendance at participating New York City schools after free menstrual products were introduced.
That result comes from one district's program. It is a local implementation example, not a national attendance effect.
Access Depends on Where You Live and Where You Are
State requirements produce different experiences even among states that have legislation in place. Examples cited by NCSL illustrate the range:
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Delaware requires public and charter schools serving grades 6 through 12 to provide free menstrual products in at least 50% of female bathrooms.
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Utah requires free products in female or unisex restrooms across elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools.
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Alabama created a grant program for eligible schools serving grades 5 through 12.
A student's grade level, school type, and which bathroom they use can each determine whether a state law reaches them.
Access outside schools follows a similar pattern. NCSL reports that at least 24 states and Washington, D.C. provide free menstrual products in correctional facilities, and that at least three states have policies covering homeless shelters.
Those counts come from NCSL's broader menstrual-access policy review and are not current to the same January 2026 date as the school figure.
The wider landscape includes schools, public colleges and universities in some states, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and selected government and public buildings. Each setting is covered by its own policy decisions.
What the Data Shows
More states have legislation on the books than the availability figures reflect. 27 states and Washington, D.C. now have laws addressing free menstrual products in schools, and 77% of Americans support school-based access.
Reported availability improved over the same period. Difficulty finding free products fell 14 percentage points in both school and public bathrooms between 2023 and 2025.
The remaining gap is still substantial. In 2025, 39% of teens rarely or never found free products in school bathrooms, and 50% reported the same difficulty in public bathrooms.
Cost and missed class time are both reported alongside these availability figures. 24% of teens struggled to afford products, rising to 34% among lower-income students, and 33% reported missing class time when they lacked access.
Sources
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Alliance for Period Supplies, Period Products in Schools by State
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Alliance for Period Supplies, Student Advocacy Toolkit
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National Conference of State Legislatures, State Actions to Increase Access to Menstrual Products
