North Kingstown survey shows gains in some areas but low student belonging and engagement
November 05, 2025 | North Kingstown, School Districts, Rhode Island
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Rob Mazzanati, a district staff presenter, outlined the 2025 SurveyWorks (NKST) results during the Nov. 4 North Kingstown School Committee meeting, saying the district scored well relative to the Rhode Island averages in many categories but that some measures — notably student engagement, school belonging and several cultural-awareness items — require follow-up.
Mazzanati told the committee that question wording changes this year produced “adjusted scores” that are intended to account for differences in phrasing; he said several declines shrink or disappear when adjusted. He also flagged specific low favorability results: a 37% rating on the student question “how well do students follow the rules at your school,” a 51% favorable rating on “how excited are you about going to your classes” for grades 3–5, and a 31% rating on “how often do you talk about ideas from your classes” for that cohort. For middle- and high-school students he highlighted a 23% favorability rating for the question “How much respect do students in your school show each other.”
On staff surveys, the presenter said teachers and support professionals reported gains in building leadership, school climate, and professional learning. He also said the “Educating All Students” category dropped for teachers and that he will dig into the underlying questions to determine whether the decline reflects real change or data artifacts. The support professionals group showed improvement in building leadership (80%) but declines in cultural awareness and action.
Superintendent DuPont and committee members praised the increased family response rate (952 in 2025 versus 783 in 2024) and noted family responses were generally positive — school climate rated about 80% favorable — while family engagement scored low (27%). Committee members asked for response-rate denominators and school-level breakdowns; Mazzanati said district and building leaders will examine school-level responses and convene focus groups and faculty meetings to probe root causes.
The presenter and committee agreed on follow-ups: (1) provide response counts and estimated response rates for each group when available; (2) share adjusted-score methodology and the questions that were reworded; and (3) have building leaders review flagged items (student rule-following, belonging and engagement) with staff and students. Mazzanati said the district will report back with school-level analyses and recommended next steps.
Mazzanati told the committee that question wording changes this year produced “adjusted scores” that are intended to account for differences in phrasing; he said several declines shrink or disappear when adjusted. He also flagged specific low favorability results: a 37% rating on the student question “how well do students follow the rules at your school,” a 51% favorable rating on “how excited are you about going to your classes” for grades 3–5, and a 31% rating on “how often do you talk about ideas from your classes” for that cohort. For middle- and high-school students he highlighted a 23% favorability rating for the question “How much respect do students in your school show each other.”
On staff surveys, the presenter said teachers and support professionals reported gains in building leadership, school climate, and professional learning. He also said the “Educating All Students” category dropped for teachers and that he will dig into the underlying questions to determine whether the decline reflects real change or data artifacts. The support professionals group showed improvement in building leadership (80%) but declines in cultural awareness and action.
Superintendent DuPont and committee members praised the increased family response rate (952 in 2025 versus 783 in 2024) and noted family responses were generally positive — school climate rated about 80% favorable — while family engagement scored low (27%). Committee members asked for response-rate denominators and school-level breakdowns; Mazzanati said district and building leaders will examine school-level responses and convene focus groups and faculty meetings to probe root causes.
The presenter and committee agreed on follow-ups: (1) provide response counts and estimated response rates for each group when available; (2) share adjusted-score methodology and the questions that were reworded; and (3) have building leaders review flagged items (student rule-following, belonging and engagement) with staff and students. Mazzanati said the district will report back with school-level analyses and recommended next steps.
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