After improvements in 2025, the School District of Lancaster’s annual parent/guardian survey showed declines across several key areas, including overall satisfaction and perceptions of safety. The Family Satisfaction Score, a composite measure based on multiple survey items, declined from its 2025 high and fell below the 2025–2026 strategic plan goal. Confidence in the district decreased slightly, from 86.2% to 84.5%, and the share of respondents rating the overall quality of education as an “A” or “B” dropped from 68.8% to 65.6%. While these changes are not statistically significant, they indicate a negative trend, particularly when considered alongside a growing percentage of respondents who report considering leaving the district.
Concerns about student safety appear to be a key driver of these declines. Although 85% of respondents believe their child is safe at school (which represents widespread and strong agreement), this is a decrease from the prior year. Most notably, the percentage of caregivers who strongly agree that their child is safe fell to 46.1%, the lowest level on record.
Despite these challenges, the survey also revealed several positive trends. Perceptions of district communication improved, with the percentage of caregivers who report being able to find the information they need increasing from 59.8% to 72.3%. Awareness of school-based staff who can connect families to community resources also increased significantly, from 74.3% to 81.4%. In addition, caregivers increasingly report feeling welcomed at schools by teachers, principals, and office staff.
There were a few key methodological changes in this year’s survey as it was the first administered by SDoL’s Office of Data Analytics & Strategy instead of Franklin & Marshall’s Center for Opinion Research. This transition enabled significant cost savings but also resulted in several methodological changes.
- Phone surveys were discontinued due to high cost.
- The survey was open to all respondents online without personal identification, reducing participation barriers (similar to recent changes by the School District of Philadelphia). While this increased participation, it also introduced the potential for duplicate or invalid responses; safeguards were implemented to ensure data quality.
- “I don’t know” responses were excluded from the sample, as they add limited analytical value and can skew results. Instead, parents/guardians were given the option to not answer individual questions. Prior years included these for some questions, so year-to-year comparisons should be made carefully.
These changes were made with guidance from Franklin & Marshall’s Center for Opinion Research and ensure both cost efficiency and expanded participation moving forward. However, due to the shift in methodology, year-to-year comparisons should be interpreted with caution.
The Office of Data Analytics & Strategy has updated the online survey dashboard, which allows users to explore results by year and topic. You are encouraged to use the link below to review school- and district-level findings.