Explore our student-centered surveys
All Surveys
All of our surveys are student-centered, meaning they help schools to learn about student well-being, engagement, and belonging through the eyes of students themselves, parents/caregivers, and faculty/staff. When administered together, schools are able to see a complete picture of the school system and how it impacts the student experience. We firmly believe in helping schools move from data to action, which is why our survey administrations include strategies for sharing your data back with your community and recommended next steps for creating change. During your debrief, we are also able to provide comparison data for like-schools and our national data trends. As an affiliate of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, our research is overseen by the university’s Institutional Review Board.
Each survey administration includes:
- One (1) Challenge Success-Stanford Survey – Choose from:
- Student survey for 4th through 8th grade (upper elementary school, middle school/junior high)
- Student survey for 9th-12th grade (high school/upper school)
- Parent/caregiver survey for K-12 schools
- Faculty/staff survey for K-12 schools
- Interactive Dashboard with your school’s data
- Expert Analysis & Debrief with Challenge Success Research Team
- Recommendations for next steps to make positive change in your school
grades 4-12 student Surveys
The Challenge Success-Stanford Surveys of Student Experiences are 30-minute, online surveys for either 4th-8th grade (upper elementary, middle school) or 9th-12th grade (high school/upper school). Over 350,000 students have taken this survey since it was developed by Stanford researchers in 2007. Topics covered in the Student Surveys include:
Well-Being
- Sources of stress and stress-related health symptoms
- Confidence in ability to cope with stress
- Sleep quantity and barriers to sleep
- Academic worry
- Parent expectations
Engagement
- Agency and love of learning
- Homework quantity and usefulness
- Grading practices
- AI use and academic integrity
Belonging
- School climate and culture
- Teacher care and support
- Sense of belonging
- Connections with teachers and peers
K-12 Parent/caregiver Survey
The Challenge Success Family Survey is a 20-minute online survey for parents and caregivers of K-12 students that helps schools understand family perceptions of their students’ experience. Along with our other surveys, it provides data and insights that lead to actionable changes designed to improve student well-being, engagement, and belonging. Topics covered in the Parent/Caregiver Survey include:
Well-Being
- Sources of worry regarding their child
- Academic expectations
- Awareness of school initiatives to improve students’ well-being
- How the school could alleviate students’ stress
Engagement
- Ideal amount of homework
- Tutoring outside of school
- Use of school’s online gradebook / portal
- Parent expectations of school and college
Belonging
- School climate
- Frequency of spending time together as a family
- Family rules & norms
- Values & definitions of success
Perceptions of Child’s
- Worry and stress about school
- Quantity & barriers to sleep
- Quantity of homework
- Higher education and future expectations
K-12 Faculty/staff Survey
The Challenge Success Faculty and Staff Survey is a 20-30-minute online survey for K-12 educators, administrators, and counselors. It measures perceptions of teachers’ own well-being, support structures, and feelings of belonging, as well as their perceptions of student experiences and their comfort implementing practices that support student success. Topics covered in the Faculty/Staff Survey include:
Well-Being
- Workload
- Sleep
- Sources of stress and ability to cope with stress
- Teaching of social, emotional, and behavioral skills
Engagement
- Engagement in work
- Participation in school-level decision making
- Assessment and homework practices
- AI use and AI policies
Belonging
- School climate
- Sense of belonging
- Trusted colleague at school
Perceptions of Students’
- Social, emotional, and behavioral well-being
- Stress and worry about schoolwork
- Ability to cope with stress
- Opportunities for choice, demonstration of mastery, and curriculum relevance
HOW OUR SURVEYS BENEFIT STUDENTS
Schools gather a lot of data every year, but the findings are often difficult to act upon, hard to understand, or simply not within their control. Our survey questions reflect the areas schools can actually influence through policy and practice changes. The data also doesn’t just sit on a shelf; our survey data helps schools make positive changes to improve K-12 student well-being, engagement, and belonging. Learn more about how our surveys are also uniquely designed to support students:
There are many positive things in every community to celebrate and build upon. We’ll help you see what’s working well and understand what’s behind those bright spots so that you can amplify and replicate those practices.
Students who identify as gender-diverse, female, AAPI, Black, Latino/a/x, or other identities may be experiencing your school in ways that differ from their peers. Our team will help you uncover these differences within your context and center equity in your policy and practice changes.
Survey questions shine a light on areas of the student experience that are important to your community, like stress, pressure, connection, and disengagement. Not only will the survey data help raise awareness of these important topics, it helps build buy-in to tackle changes.