--- ## title: Centennial_2026 Survey PUBLIC-BOARD REPORT-v2_June2026 --- ## Centennial School District ## Annual Communications Survey ## Board Report June 8, 2026 prepared by CESO Communications ## Table of Contents Background 2 ## Demographics ## Overall Participation 2 Students 3 Parents/Guardians 4 Staff 4 ## Key Findings Students 6 Parents/Guardians 7 Staff 9 ## Cross-Audience Trends 11 Recommendations 12 Conclusion 13 1 ## Annual Communications Survey • ## Background Centennial Schools conducted its annual survey from January 23 to February 12, 2026, to assess student, parent/guardian, and staff experiences. These findings inform district planning and identify key areas of operational and strategic focus. The survey yielded 4,721 responses, a 13% increase over 2025. Participation grew among students and parents/guardians, while staff responses declined. The survey was accessible in five languages: English, Hmong, Oromo, Spanish, and Somali. ## Demographics ## Overall Participation The survey had strong participation, with 4,721 responses, most of which came from students. ## Participation Highlights ● Overall survey responses increased by 13% from 2025 to 2026. ● Student participation increased significantly from last year at both elementary and secondary levels. 2 ● Parent/Guardian participation continues to grow and remains strong. ● Staff participation declined but continues to provide meaningful insights across employee groups. ## Student Participation A total of 3,492 students participated in the 2026 survey, including 1,286 elementary students in grades 3-5 and 2,206 secondary students in grades 6-12 and Journey. ## Strategic Highlights: ● Elementary participation increased by 24%. ● Secondary participation increased by 19%. ● Student satisfaction remains strongest at the elementary level and gradually declines through middle and high school. ● Adult connections improve throughout the high school years, reaching their highest levels among seniors. ## Parent/Guardian Participation A total of 977 parent/guardian respondents are represented in the 2026 survey, a significant increase from the last two survey administrations. The 2026 survey allowed parents/guardians to provide feedback for multiple children across multiple schools. Aggregating across all school and child blocks, the survey yielded 1,151 unique child-school enrollment records and 1,469 child-specific satisfaction response sets. 3 ## Strategic Highlights: ● Parent satisfaction remains consistently high across all school levels. ● Confidence in student success, school safety and teacher support continue to be among the district's highest-rated measures. ● Parents report feeling highly informed about both school-level and district-level communication. ● Email remains the preferred communication channel, followed by text messaging for district-level updates. ## Staff Participation A total of 359 staff members participated in the survey. 4 ## Strategic Highlights: ● Staff satisfaction improved in several key areas compared to 2025. ● Ratings for district departments improved substantially, particularly Teaching and Learning. ● Work experience, pride and connectedness all rebounded from 2025 levels. ● Differences between staff groups remain relatively small, though some variation exists by work location and role. 5 ## Key Findings ## Student Experience ## Overall Satisfaction Remains Strong Student satisfaction continues to be very favorable across all grade levels: ● Elementary average agreement: 97% ● Middle school average agreement: 93% ● High school average agreement: 91% Support from adults remains the highest-rated area at all levels. ## Secondary Student Experience Remains an Area of Focus 6 While overall satisfaction remains strong, several patterns emerge across grade levels: ● Ratings decrease as students progress from elementary to middle and high school. ● Instruction receives the lowest ratings among high school students. ● Safety, belonging and adult connections remain lower at the secondary level than at elementary schools. ● Open-ended comments continue to reference bullying, school climate and school policies as recurring concerns. ## Ongoing Student Priorities Students continue to identify opportunities for improvement related to: ● Stronger relationships with adults ● More engaging instructional experiences ● Improvements to school climate ● Greater responsiveness to student concerns ## Parent/Guardian Experience ## Satisfaction Remains Consistently High Parent/guardian respondents continue to report strong confidence in Centennial Schools. Highest-rated measures include: ● Confidence in student success (97%) ● Safety (96%) ● Teacher support (95%) ● Communication regarding school and district events (97%) 7 ## Communication Continues to Be a Strength Parent/guardian respondents continue to feel well informed about important dates, activities and events at their student's school. Staff responsiveness also remained high. Similarly, parent/guardian respondents continue to feel informed about important district-level dates, activities and events, with 97% of 2026 respondents in agreement. 8 Key findings include: ● School-level communication satisfaction remains exceptionally high ● District-level communication satisfaction remains exceptionally high ● Email remains the preferred communication method ● Text messaging continues to gain support as a supplemental communication tool ## Ongoing Parent/Guardian Priorities Open-ended responses continue to focus on: ● Bullying prevention ● Student behavior ● Special education supports ● School climate ● Academic rigor and student support These themes, including safety, special education support and equitable resources, were also raised in prior year surveys, indicating persistent areas for attention. ## Staff Experience ## Staff Morale Improved Significantly One of the most notable findings from 2026 is the improvement in staff experience measures. 9 Compared to 2025 survey results: ● Pride improved substantially (9% percentage points) ● Respect and connection improved substantially (9% percentage points) ● Work experience ratings increased ● Strongly Agree responses increased significantly ## Department Satisfaction Rebounded All departments showed higher favorability than in 2025, with the largest increases observed in Teaching and Learning (+25 percentage points), Student Services (+13 points), and Business Services (+11 points). Note: Because a Not Applicable response option was added in 2026, year-over-year comparisons should be interpreted with caution, particularly for departments with larger numbers of N/A responses, including Teaching and Learning (n=44), Student Services (n=42) and Business Services (n=33). Teaching and Learning experienced the largest improvement of any district department. ● Teaching and Learning increased from 56% favorability in 2025 to 81% in 2026. ● All district departments now rate at or above 2024 levels. ## Ongoing Staff Priorities Staff feedback continues to emphasize: ● Student behavior support ● Staffing levels and workload ● Special education resources 10 ● Administrative visibility and communication ● Professional support and development These themes are consistent with topics raised in the 2024 and 2025 surveys, particularly class sizes, special education support and administrative communication. ## Cross-Audience Trends Several themes emerged consistently across stakeholder groups. ## Satisfaction Remains Stable Across students, parents/guardians and staff: ● Overall satisfaction remains high ● Favorability has remained within a relatively narrow range over the past three years across student, parent/guardian, and staff groups. ● The percentage of Strongly Agree responses continues to increase, indicating growing confidence among respondents ## Communication Preferences Are Consistent Across all audiences: ● Email remains the preferred communication method ● Text messaging remains the preferred supplemental district communication tool ● Social media continues to rank lowest as a preferred communication channel ## Brand Message Alignment Improved Agreement with all three district brand messages improved in 2026. Key observations: ● Message 2 remains the strongest-performing brand statement. ● Message 3 continues to receive the lowest agreement among both parent/guardian and staff respondents. ● Agreement is generally strongest among elementary parent/guardian and staff respondents and lowest among secondary parent/guardian and staff respondents. 11 ## Recommendations Based on the 2026 survey findings, CESO Communications recommends the district: ## 1. Continue Focused Support for Secondary Student Experience ○ Use school and grade-level data to identify opportunities to improve adult connections, instruction and student belonging. ○ Continue addressing recurring concerns regarding bullying, school climate and student engagement. ## 2. Maintain Strong Communication Practices ○ Continue prioritizing email as the primary communication channel. ○ Expand strategic use of text messaging for timely districtwide updates. ○ Continue ensuring communication remains accessible and inclusive. ## 3. Sustain Improvements in Staff Experience ○ Continue efforts that contributed to gains in staff pride, respect and connectedness. ○ Maintain visibility and follow-through from district and building leadership. ## 4. Build on Teaching and Learning Improvements ○ Identify practices that contributed to the significant improvement in department satisfaction. ○ Continue strengthening instructional support and professional learning opportunities. ## 5. Further Explore Brand Message Alignment ○ Continue evaluating why Message 3 receives lower agreement than other brand messages. ○ Engage parent/guardian and staff, particularly at the secondary level, to better understand perceptions and identify opportunities for alignment. ## 6. Maintain Consistent Longitudinal Measurement ○ Continue using a stable core survey structure to support meaningful year-over-year trend analysis. 12 Conclusion • The 2026 survey demonstrates strong stakeholder confidence, characterized by high satisfaction among students and parents/guardians and notable morale improvements among staff. The data also identify opportunities for continued growth, particularly around secondary student experience, school climate, bullying prevention and sustaining positive gains in staff experience. These results provide a stable data foundation for future planning and community engagement. Consistent longitudinal measurement ensures the district remains responsive to stakeholder needs and priorities. The district is encouraged to share survey findings with stakeholders and communicate how this feedback will inform future decisions. 13