Student Surveys

Designed to help schools make data-driven decisions that improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement with learning.

SURVEY OVERVIEW

The Student Survey

The Student Survey (also known as the Challenge Success-Stanford Survey of School Experiences) is an approximately 30-minute, online survey for middle and high school students that helps schools gather data and insights that lead to actionable changes designed to improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement with learning. Over 250,000 students have taken this survey since it was developed by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2007.

Topics covered in survey

Physical health and well-being
Academic engagement
Support and belonging at school
Homework and extracurriculars
Grades and assessment
Parent expectations

What’s included

SURVEY: Support administering one online survey
DASHBOARD: Interactive, online dashboard of results with executive summary
PEER SCHOOL PROFILE: Access to a dashboard of data from similar schools
DEBRIEF CALL: Video call with members of our Research or Program teams to debrief results and recommend next steps
RESEARCH TEAM OFFICE HOURS: Access to a member of the Research team on Thursdays at 12pm PT for follow-up questions.

Want to go deeper? Consider a student survey with a “fishbowl” focus group to gather both quantitative and qualitative data.

Many schools have accessed state, local, and community funding to support this work. Learn more about potential sources of funding here. Challenge Success strives to offer need-based financial assistance in an effort to support schools and organizations with limited resources. We believe that cost should not be a deterrent to accessing quality programs. To apply, please complete this form. All requests will be reviewed by our Executive Director.

Interested in bringing a Student Survey to your school?
We’d love to hear from you! Tell us more about your school, the challenges you’re facing, and the goals you’re trying to achieve using the form below.

HOW SCHOOLS BENEFIT

Our surveys help schools make positive changes like these

	Sleep	Homework	Engagement
Data Insight	6 hours average sleep/night	38% students report 3.5 hours or more of homework/night	41% of students were “disengaged” or “doing school”
Actions	School ran an educational sleep campaign to create awareness about the importance of sleep and reduced homework load.	School changed homework approach to focus on quality over quantity.	School ran focus groups with students to learn why their engagement was so low, which led to a shift to a standards-based grading system.
Result	7 hours average sleep/night	22% students report 3.5 hours or more of homework/night	27% of students were “disengaged” or “doing school”

WHAT SCHOOLS ARE SAYING

“The compelling data generated by the survey of our own students shows the undeniable need for changes at our school that will balance students’ academic progress and mental/emotional/physical well-being.”
HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

“The data we collected really helped us understand better the stresses our students faced and what levers we could pull to help students get beyond ‘doing school’ and become more curious and engaged in their learning.”
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

SAMPLE SURVEY QUESTIONS

Below you’ll find a selection of sample questions from several sections of our Student Survey.

Belonging at School

I feel like I belong at this school.
I feel that other students at this school like me the way that I am.

Academic Worry

How often does the amount of schoolwork you have keep you from getting enough sleep?
How often do you worry about school assignments?
How much do you worry about getting into the college of your choice?

Homework and Extracurriculars

On a typical weekday, how many hours do you spend on school-assigned homework (do not include time spent taking breaks, texting, using the computer for non-academic work, etc.)?
During a typical week, from Monday through Friday, how much time do you spend participating in these activities outside of school hours? (Do not include hours spent doing jobs or paid work.)

Student Engagement

How often do you try as hard as you can in school?
How often do you find your schoolwork meaningful?
How often do you find your schoolwork valuable?

Want to see more sample questions? Get in touch with our team to discuss survey solutions for your school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Reach out to our team directly for more information: research@challengesuccess.org

About the Survey

What does the Challenge Success Student Survey measure?

The Student Survey measures middle and high school students’ perspectives on homework, extracurricular activities and free time, sleep, physical health, school-related stress, parent expectations, academic engagement, academic integrity, and support & belonging at school. See a comparison of the categories covered in the Student and Parent surveys here.

How was the Student Survey developed?

The survey was originally developed in 2007 by Stanford University researchers and is overseen by Stanford’s Administrative Panels for the Protection of Human Subjects.

How can our school use the results?

Survey findings can help schools make data-driven policy and practice decisions that improve student well-being and engagement with learning. For instance, based on results from the survey, some schools have revised homework policies, changed bell schedules, given parent and student education workshops on sleep and physical health, and revised their honor codes.

Administering the Survey

When is the best time of year to administer the survey?

We recommend you administer the survey during a time that is typical for students at your school. Students should not take the survey right before or after exams or during the first few weeks of school.

What are the best ways to inform our school community about the survey?

We recommend that you include information about the survey in a school newsletter and talk about it with students prior to survey administration. You can use some of the information from our website to explain the benefits and get your school community excited about what you might learn from the results.

How do we obtain parent permission?

Schools are required to provide survey information to all parents prior to survey administration. Challenge Success will provide schools with materials that can be shared with parents electronically. Parents who wish to decline their child’s participation must sign and return the form that is included. If they do not return the form, the student has permission from the parent to take the survey.

How long is the survey?

The survey has about 70 questions and takes 30-40 minutes to complete.

Do all students have to take the survey?

We recommend that you encourage all students to participate. We aim for a response rate of at least 70%.

What if a student doesn’t want to take the survey?

Students do not have to take the survey. Before beginning the survey, students are given an online assent form, which offers them an opportunity to opt out.

What if a student doesn’t want to answer one or more questions on the survey?

Students can choose not to answer any or all questions.

Do all students in our school need to take the survey at the same time?

No, it is not essential that students take the survey at the same time. However, we ask that all students taking the survey do so over the course of 7 or fewer days. Some schools administer the survey during a class that all students take (e.g. English or PE). Others offer it during an advisory or assembly period. However you structure it, each individual student must complete the survey in one sitting.

How do we administer the survey?

We recommend that students take the survey during a period that’s at least 45 minutes in length. Each student will need access to a computer or tablet as well as a reliable internet connection. Challenge Success will email you a link to a secure website, which you can distribute to your students when they sit for the survey.

Does a staff member have to be in the room with students while they are taking the survey?

Yes, we ask that a staff member read a script to students before they take the survey and stay in the room while they take it.

What if a student has a question about the survey while he/she is taking it?

The staff member may answer any questions students have about the survey (for example, they can help if the student doesn’t understand the question) but should not provide the answer to specific survey questions.

Survey Results

Are survey results confidential?

Survey results are kept strictly confidential. Students are not asked to provide their names and can opt out of answering any or all questions.

When and how will we receive our survey results?

It takes the Challenge Success research team approximately 4-6 weeks to process your survey data and prepare an online dashboard of the results. Explore this example of the dashboard. Once complete, we will set up an hour-long video call with representatives from your school to debrief the results. During this call, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions about the data, consider ways to build upon your school’s strengths, and discuss areas of need or concern.

Can I have a copy of the dashboard emailed to me?

Additional reports with survey data may be provided for a fee.