69传媒

School Climate & Safety

Gallup Asked U.S. 69传媒 to Grade Their 69传媒. Here鈥檚 the Report Card

By Arianna Prothero 鈥 June 16, 2023 2 min read
Vector illustration of a woman filling out an online form with letter grades
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

If students could rate their schools, what grade would they give them? The just that.

The result? A 鈥淏-" for U.S. schools.

That鈥檚 the average from more than 2,000 responses from 5th through 12th graders surveyed at the end of the recently completed 2022-23 school year. Gallup surveyed the children from a representative sample of adults. While schools got a passing grade overall, students say there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to supporting their mental health, making them excited to learn, and preparing them for potential careers.

The poll is the inaugural survey that is part of a larger effort by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation to study the experiences of youth in schools. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Walmart founder Sam Walton鈥檚 heirs and has been a longtime funder of education initiatives鈥攅specially those related to increasing school choice.

(The Walton Family Foundation provides support for Education Week coverage of strategies for advancing opportunities for students most in need. Education Week retains sole editorial control over its coverage.)

The highest grades schools earned, a straight B, were for keeping students physically safe and respecting students for who they are regardless of race and ethnicity, gender, and identity. Three-quarters of students gave schools an A or B grade in those categories, with nearly half of students鈥48 percent鈥攁warding their school an A grade for respecting them regardless of their identity. Forty-three percent gave their school an A grade for keeping them safe.

But that is the high-water mark. After that, no other topic gets an A grade from more than 30 percent of students. And how students rated their school varied based on several factors.

鈥淭he research highlights just how different the educational experience is for each student,鈥 Gallup said in a press release. 鈥淔or example, only a third of Black students give their school an 鈥楢鈥 for 鈥榬especting who you are regardless of your race/ethnicity, gender and identity, compared with 53% of Hispanic students and 50% of white students.鈥

69传媒 who earn good grades were also far more likely to give their school an A rating for making them feel included than students with struggling grades.

When it comes to supporting students鈥 mental health, teaching in ways adapted to students鈥 unique learning needs, teaching about potential careers, and making students excited about learning, schools earned a C+ overall鈥攖he lowest grade assigned.

Slightly more than half of students rated their schools with either an A or B grade on supporting their mental health, teaching about potential careers, and adapting teaching to students鈥 needs. Nearly a quarter gave their schools either a D or F on those three fronts.

Fewer than half of students said their school earned an A or B grade on making them excited to learn.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School Climate & Safety What 69传媒 Need To Know About Anonymous Threats鈥擜nd How to Prevent Them
Anonymous threats are on the rise. 69传媒 should act now to plan their responses, but also take measures to prevent them.
3 min read
Tightly cropped photo of hands on a laptop with a red glowing danger icon with the exclamation mark inside of a triangle overlaying the photo
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion Restorative Justice, the Classroom, and Policy: Can We Resolve the Tension?
Student discipline is one area where school culture and the rules don't always line up.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor School Safety Should Be Built In, Not Tacked On
69传媒 and communities must address ways to prevent school violence by first working with people, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Opinion How One Big City District Is Addressing the Middle East Conflict
Partnerships are helping the Philadelphia schools better support all students and staff, writes Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.
Tony B. Watlington Sr.
4 min read
Young people protesting with signs.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty