Turning Your Feedback into School Improvements
Last November, we launched our new Student and Family Experience Surveys.
The feedback we received from David Douglas students and families provided us with valuable insights into our strengths and areas for improvement. By sharing your experiences, you are helping us build a better, more responsive school community for our students and families.
The following report provides an overview of the results.
Number of responses
- Student Participation: 70%
- From students in grades 6 to 12 and Community Transition Program: 3,160
- From students in grades 3 to 5: 1,447
- From parents and guardians: 846 (15%)
Strength with students
Strong student teacher relationships (secondary)
- 84.7% of students agree that adults at my school treat students with respect
- 89.8% of students agree that adults respect people from different backgrounds
- 79.7% of students said they have at least one trusted adult in the building
Nearly 90% of students agree that staff respect people from different backgrounds and most students identify a trusted adult at school.
Students feel safe and secure (elementary)
- 91.8% of students know how to stay safe in emergencies
- 81.6% of students said they feel safe in the classroom
- 93.5% of students said they try their best in their school work
Students report strong feelings of safety at school, with nearly 90% stating their teacher cares about them.
Strengths with families
- 94% agree that they feel welcomed and included in their school community.
- 94% feel comfortable communicating with school staff about their student(s).
- 97% agree that our schools communicate and provide resources in the language(s) their family needs.
A key district strength is its strong relationships with families, over 90% report feeling welcomed and comfortable communicating with school leadership. We are grateful for our partnership and continue to work hard to keep our schools welcoming spaces for everyone.
Areas for Improvement
Extracurricular involvement (secondary)
- 56.8% of students said they participate in a school club, team, or another school group.
- Student participation in extracurricular activities is low, indicating an opportunity to promote and encourage participation in school activities.
Welcoming and fair place (elementary)
- While 87.4% of 3rd grade students find their school welcoming and a fair place for all students, the percentage declined to 76% in 4th grade and 77.3% in 5th grade.
- We are committed to making our schools welcoming spaces for all students to learn, grow, and thrive. We will continue to listen to students through empathy interviews and student leadership groups to better understand their experiences.
Communication gaps (families)
While the participation in our Family Experience Survey was lower than expected, the feedback offered valuable insights. Over 90% of elementary families reported strong communication between school staff and families, though we recognize we need to improve at our secondary level, where satisfaction is below 85%.
Family and community engagement is one of our core values. Our students thrive when schools and families work together. We are committed to strengthening our partnerships by continuing to improve and innovate our communication approach.
Thank you for engaging in this process; your partnership makes our work at David Douglas possible.