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District survey: parents rate Mishawaka schools positively but cite communication and transportation concerns
Summary
A districtwide parent survey had a 9.1% response rate; most respondents rated their child’s school 'excellent' or 'good' and said their child feels safe, while common concerns included communication and limited bus availability.
Mrs. Smith presented results from a digital parent survey conducted in October and summarized findings at the Jan. 14 meeting. The survey reached elementary, middle, high school and alternative-program families; response rate across the district was 9.1%.
Key findings in Mrs. Smith’s summary: 33% of respondents rated their child’s school 'excellent' and 48.1% 'good' on perception of the child’s school. Regarding safety, roughly 32.1% said 'very safe' and 43.5% 'safe'; 82.8% of parents agreed or strongly agreed their child feels safe at school. On instruction, around 36.8% rated teaching 'excellent' and 45.3% 'good'. Communication emerged both as a leading strength and a chief concern: respondents frequently cited communication as the district’s top strength and top area for improvement.
Mrs. Smith also relayed qualitative comments: multiple parents praised teachers and principals and noted family tradition; a small number described negative experiences, and transportation (lack of buses) was a recurring operational concern. Detailed breakdowns by individual school were available in the board packet, and staff offered to follow up on specific outlier responses.
The board received the report and had no substantive questions during the meeting.
