Family
Communication, engagement, school environment, instruction, support, and family experience.
School data, without overreading it
How to read NYC School Survey results
Start with who answered, not the headline score. Check the respondent group, response rate or count, reporting threshold, question wording, and year before comparing schools. Missing results are a limitation—not a verdict.
Reviewed August 12, 2026 · 2026 results are not yet public
The 2026 survey closed April 30. NYC Public Schools says those results are currently embargoed and confidential, with public release expected later in 2026. The latest public results available from the official survey page are from 2025. Do not share or rely on embargoed material.
What the survey measures
The annual NYC School Survey asks families and teachers or staff about schools from 3-K through grade 12, and asks students in grades 6–12. The versions are separate because a family, a student, and a teacher can experience the same school differently.
Student
Safety, support, instruction, belonging, trust, and other aspects of school climate for grades 6–12.
Teacher / staff
Leadership, collaboration, instructional conditions, resources, culture, trust, and support.
The five checks to make before believing a score
Which respondent group is this?
Never blend family, student, and teacher results. A strong family score does not cancel a weak teacher score, or vice versa.
How many people answered?
Use the reported response rate or completed count. A score based on a narrow slice of the community may not represent everyone.
Was the result suppressed?
NYC Public Schools suppresses a group's results when fewer than five responses are received. That protects confidentiality but limits interpretation.
What exactly was asked?
Read the question wording and answer scale. Topic labels can hide meaningful differences between individual questions.
Are the comparison and year valid?
Compare the same respondent group, question, and year. Watch for questionnaire or reporting changes before treating movement as a trend.
What “Percent Favorable” actually means
favorable responses ÷ (favorable + negative responses)
NYC Public Schools excludes neutral responses—typically “I don't know” when offered—from the calculation. A score of 80% therefore means 80% of the positive and negative substantive responses were favorable. It does not necessarily mean 80% of every eligible person agreed.
How to interpret missing or low-response data
What you can say
- “This respondent group has no published score in this report.”
- “The response rate is low, so the result may not represent the full community.”
- “Fewer than five responses can trigger suppression.”
- “We need the report notes or school context to understand the gap.”
What the data cannot prove
- That a school prevented people from participating
- That teachers are satisfied or dissatisfied
- That a school is transparent or secretive overall
- That an unavailable score would have been high or low
Those explanations may be worth asking about, but the blank itself cannot answer them. Treat any claim about motive as a hypothesis until the school, NYC Public Schools, or another primary source supplies evidence.
District and charter schools: compare carefully
Official survey materials cover both district and charter schools. The administration details are not identical in every respect: for example, NYC Public Schools' technical materials explain that charter teacher populations can be estimated from enrollment, while district teacher populations use personnel records. That makes response-rate context especially important before comparing school types or networks.
Questions to ask when a school's results look unusual
- Which survey year and respondent group am I viewing?
- What were the eligible population, completed count, and response rate?
- Was any result suppressed because fewer than five people responded?
- How and when did the school distribute reminders and access information?
- What has the school changed in response to prior survey findings?
- Is there another official report or renewal document that adds context?
Use survey results as one layer, not the whole decision
NYC Public Schools itself recommends checking whether respondents resemble the school population before interpreting results. Pair the survey with official School Quality Reports, attendance and outcome measures, program details, accessibility, a realistic commute, school visits, and direct questions. For Chancellor-authorized charter schools, renewal reports can add another evidence source.
Compare the school record around the survey
Use Adulting's directory and comparison tool to organize other available school fields—then confirm current information with official sources.
Questions parents ask
What does Percent Favorable mean in the NYC School Survey?
Percent Favorable is the share of favorable responses among favorable and negative substantive responses. Neutral or 'I don't know' responses are excluded, so it is not the percentage of every person surveyed who agreed.
Why are NYC School Survey results missing for a group?
NYC Public Schools suppresses a respondent group's results when fewer than five responses are received. A blank can also require checking the report's notes, year, and population. Missing public results alone do not explain why the data is absent.
Are schools penalized for low NYC School Survey response rates?
No. NYC Public Schools says response rates are reported for information and schools are not penalized for low response. High participation can make a result more representative, but participation by families, students, teachers, and staff is voluntary.
Can charter schools appear in NYC School Survey results?
Yes. NYC Public Schools' survey materials describe participation and administration for both district and charter schools. Availability still differs by school, year, respondent group, and whether the minimum reporting threshold was met.
Are 2026 NYC School Survey results public yet?
Not as of August 12, 2026. NYC Public Schools says 2026 results are in an embargoed, confidential review period and will be released publicly later in 2026. Use the public 2025 results until that release.
Primary sources
Checked August 12, 2026. The official survey page is the source of truth for the public-release status and annual files.