School Climate

How It Works

School climate is a multidimensional concept that research has shown to be a significant predictor of student academic outcomes, behavior, and social-emotional well-being. The National School Climate Center defines it as the quality and character of school life, based on patterns of students', parents', and school personnel's experience of school life. Key dimensions include physical and emotional safety (do students feel safe from bullying, harassment, and violence?), relationships and social connectedness (do students feel they belong? do teachers care about them?), instructional environment (are expectations high? is teaching engaging?), and institutional culture (are rules fair? do families feel welcome?). Most states now include a school climate indicator in their ESSA accountability systems, typically measured through student surveys. Common instruments include the ED School Climate Survey (EDSCLS) developed by the U.S. Department of Education and various commercially available surveys. Schools with positive climates consistently show higher academic achievement, lower absenteeism, fewer disciplinary incidents, and lower teacher turnover. Research has found that improving school climate can narrow achievement gaps, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may be more sensitive to the school environment. On OpenSchoolData, school climate survey data is not currently displayed because it is not consistently available across all states in federal datasets, but it remains an important factor for parents to evaluate through school visits and conversations.

Related Terms

• Chronic Absenteeism, Missing 10% or more of school days in a year (approximately 18 days), regardless of whether absences are excused or unexcused, a metric tracked by most states as an indicator of student engagement.
• School Accountability, The system by which schools and districts are held responsible for student outcomes, including state ratings, improvement plans, and potential interventions for chronically low-performing schools.
• Dropout Rate, The percentage of students who leave school before earning a diploma or completing an equivalent program, measured as either an event rate (one year) or a status rate (cumulative).