A school climate survey is a powerful tool to understand how students, teachers, and staff experience their learning environment. It measures perceptions of safety, relationships, teaching and learning, leadership, the actual school environment (like classrooms and resources), as well as the overall sense of belonging within the school community.
Conducting a school climate survey isn’t just about collecting opinions — it’s about building trust, listening to all voices, and using data to implement meaningful actions.
We’ve discussed the what and why. Now, we want you to understand the how. There are three phases and many steps involved in an effective school climate survey process. These include the pre-survey planning phase, the implementation phase, and the post-survey analysis and action planning phase.
Pre-survey:
Define the Purpose and Goals:
Clarify what you want to learn and why. Are you trying to understand student engagement? Teacher morale? Students’ perception of safety or bullying? Though you might have something particular in mind, it’s important to use a survey instrument that encompasses the five key dimensions of school climate, as they are all connected.
Choose a survey provider:
Use a validated questionnaire, one designed by psychometric and education experts. By doing so, you can ensure not only the anonymity of the survey process but also its reliability and comparability.
Put together a survey committee:
This will be your team to help coordinate the survey process, clarify any questions or doubts, and, ultimately, help with the administration of the survey.
Inform key stakeholders:
Write a letter to families and parents. Meet with staff and teachers. Talk to students in homeroom. Inform everyone of the purpose of the survey and how and when the survey will take place. Also, give them information about the survey provider.
Develop a communication plan:
How are you planning to communicate survey results? Who is in charge of communication? Share your communication plan with stakeholders.
Set Aside Resources:
Budget for the survey and subsequent action plans. This isn’t just to get people’s opinions. It’s a way to make a real difference in your community, but only with the right resources.
Conduct the School Climate Survey:
Choose the when and how:
Send out survey reminders and clear instructions on when the survey will take place, how it will take place, and who will be surveyed. Most school climate surveys are conducted online, so ensure you have the necessary tech support to administer the survey.
Explain WHY (again):
Explain the survey’s purpose and what your school and district leaders plan to do with the information. Remind participants that responses are anonymous.
Ensure confidentiality:
Protect student and staff anonymity to encourage honest responses.
Dedicate time and space:
Allocate quiet, dedicated time during the school day for students, teachers, and staff to complete the survey. For families, provide them with space in the library or media room to complete the survey. Not all families will have connectivity. Be mindful of all the possible scenarios to maximize survey participation from all stakeholders.
Support diverse stakeholders:
Provide necessary accommodations, such as offering surveys in multiple languages or supporting students with IEPs.
Post-Survey Phase:
Analyze the Data:
There are so many ways to analyze data. Here are some key steps to take to get a better picture of what is happening at your school:
- Analyze by the sub-groups you defined in the pre-survey phase. This can help you learn how different groups are impacted by school climate.
- Look for trends and disparities.
- Combine with other data – school attendance, teacher and staff turnover, test scores, discipline records. This information complements the survey information, giving a more holistic picture of how the school climate is affecting specific areas of the school.
Communicate the Survey Results:
Share and discuss the results with stakeholders. In your pre-survey phase, you developed a communication plan – stick to it. If the results aren’t very positive, recognize there’s a lot of work to do. Be transparent and communicative and open to dialogue.
Take Action:
Data-driven action plans are what make these survey processes powerful. If you take the results and put them in a drawer, nothing will change, and your school leaders and the survey process will lose credibility.
- Identify key priorities. Focus on two or three (maximum) key priorities. If you try to fix everything at once, you’ll lose your north.
- Work with a multidisciplinary committee to develop meaningful actions to address these priorities. This committee can include teachers of various grade levels, support staff (like school counselors and non-instructional staff), school leaders, student leaders, and parents or family members.
- Integrate actions into the strategic planning. Actions without structure and support can fall flat or can be pushed to the back burner. Make these actions a priority.
- ACT NOW:
- What can you do before school ends?
- What can you do before the next school year starts?
- What can you do in a year’s time?
Actually creating a positive school climate, particularly in schools that are in communities that are themselves not calm and orderly, is hard work. ~ James Forman, Jr.
Communicate actions
… with the community. Tell your families, students, and teachers what you are going to do and WHY. Give them a timeline to expect changes. And communicate again and again.
Track and Measure Progress:
Check in. Track changes. Conduct short follow-up surveys regarding highly specific actions. Conduct a survey each year to monitor changes in your school climate and culture.
The school climate survey is only as effective as the actions developed after analyzing and understanding the results. In the end, a school climate survey is more than a questionnaire; it’s a commitment to listening, understanding, and creating a school where every student and teacher feels valued, safe, and supported. It’s an opportunity to build trust, amplify every voice, and turn feedback into meaningful actions that strengthen a positive, inclusive school community.
The Learning Policy Institute has published a Fact Sheet about school climate surveys and how the data obtained can improve your educational community.
