Burlington Public Schools survey finds high safety scores but sharp drop in students saying they "look forward" to school

Christine Concepcion, a district staff member who led the presentation, told the school committee the district fielded the 2024 school climate survey from Dec. 2 through Dec. 20 and had “exactly 554 parent and guardian responses” and “297 staff responses.”

The survey covered parents/guardians, all staff and students in grades 4–12. Concepcion reported 490 completed responses from elementary (grade 4–5) students and 1,378 complete responses from secondary students (grades 6–12), with an additional 1,463 partial secondary responses. Responses were submitted in 11–12 languages depending on the group.

Why it matters: school committee members and district leaders said the results help shape the district’s three strategic priorities — Learning, Equity and Thriving — and guide planning and resource decisions. Superintendent Dr. Conte said the climate data are “the antecedents to learning,” adding that students must feel safe before they can learn effectively.

Key findings presented by Concepcion: - School safety scored highly across parents, staff and students and remained…