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Digest of Education Statistics: 2016
Digest of Education Statistics: 2016

NCES 2017-094
February 2018


Table 206.50. Percentage of students enrolled in grades 3 through 12 whose parents were satisfied or dissatisfied with various aspects of their children's schools, by school type: 2003, 2007, and 2012
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Parent satisfaction 2003 2007 2012
Public school Private school Public school Private school Public school Private school
Total Assigned Chosen Total1 Assigned1 Chosen1 Total1 Assigned1 Chosen1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Very satisfied                                                                        
School 55.4   (0.75) 53.7   (0.79) 64.2   (1.72) 75.7   (1.73) 54.0   (0.93) 52.1   (0.96) 62.1   (2.34) 78.6   (1.76) 53.3   (0.51) 52.5   (0.58) 56.2   (1.30) 79.6   (1.26)
Teachers 57.8   (0.73) 56.4   (0.74) 64.5   (1.62) 71.8   (1.55) 57.9   (0.80) 56.6   (0.88) 63.5   (2.32) 75.8   (1.69) 52.4   (0.59) 52.3   (0.65) 51.7   (1.48) 72.9   (1.47)
Academic standards 56.1   (0.73) 54.5   (0.78) 63.8   (1.75) 78.9   (1.62) 58.2   (0.80) 56.3   (0.84) 65.9   (2.09) 81.3   (1.59) 53.9   (0.54) 52.7   (0.58) 58.8   (1.48) 80.0   (1.45)
Order and discipline 57.4   (0.73) 55.9   (0.78) 64.8   (1.81) 80.9   (1.47) 56.2   (0.89) 55.0   (0.97) 60.9   (2.21) 82.2   (1.55) 53.5   (0.63) 52.4   (0.64) 57.9   (1.64) 81.7   (1.36)
Staff interaction                                                                        
with parents   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 49.5   (0.93) 47.7   (1.00) 56.7   (2.24) 74.9   (1.77) 45.5   (0.62) 44.7   (0.72) 48.8   (1.67) 72.3   (1.39)
                                                                         
Somewhat satisfied                                                                        
School 34.0   (0.66) 35.3   (0.74) 27.6   (1.40) 19.7   (1.66) 34.0   (0.75) 34.9   (0.82) 30.5   (2.01) 18.3   (1.62) 36.9   (0.60) 37.6   (0.68) 34.0   (1.57) 16.9   (1.13)
Teachers 34.4   (0.71) 35.4   (0.71) 29.3   (1.57) 23.6   (1.35) 33.3   (0.74) 34.1   (0.84) 29.8   (1.87) 21.6   (1.67) 38.3   (0.61) 38.4   (0.64) 38.7   (1.47) 23.0   (1.40)
Academic standards 34.3   (0.71) 35.4   (0.79) 29.1   (1.59) 16.8   (1.42) 31.8   (0.75) 32.7   (0.84) 28.2   (1.99) 16.4   (1.40) 37.0   (0.61) 38.0   (0.67) 33.0   (1.49) 16.6   (1.31)
Order and discipline 29.7   (0.65) 30.5   (0.72) 26.0   (1.67) 15.0   (1.42) 29.6   (0.81) 30.1   (0.85) 27.6   (2.57) 15.1   (1.45) 34.5   (0.63) 35.3   (0.67) 30.8   (1.50) 15.6   (1.36)
Staff interaction                                                                        
with parents   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 35.7   (0.82) 36.4   (0.92) 33.5   (2.03) 21.5   (1.71) 39.2   (0.69) 40.1   (0.79) 35.4   (1.69) 23.6   (1.22)
                                                                         
Somewhat dissatisfied                                                                        
School 7.1   (0.34) 7.4   (0.37) 5.6   (0.75) 3.5   (0.69) 7.9   (0.42) 8.4   (0.45) 5.5   (0.98) 2.7   (0.53) 7.4   (0.36) 7.4   (0.37) 7.6   (0.95) 2.6   (0.58)
Teachers 5.8   (0.34) 6.2   (0.38) 4.1   (0.52) 3.5   (0.69) 6.4   (0.45) 6.6   (0.48) 5.6   (1.11) 2.0   (0.54) 7.3   (0.31) 7.2   (0.33) 7.7   (0.84) 3.6   (0.69)
Academic standards 6.3   (0.32) 6.6   (0.37) 4.3   (0.56) 3.6   (0.71) 6.4   (0.41) 6.8   (0.47) 4.9   (0.83) 2.1 ! (0.63) 6.8   (0.34) 7.0   (0.40) 6.3   (0.77) 2.9   (0.74)
Order and discipline 7.4   (0.39) 7.8   (0.42) 5.0   (0.69) 2.5   (0.53) 8.3   (0.45) 8.6   (0.50) 7.0   (1.00) 2.2   (0.49) 8.4   (0.31) 8.6   (0.36) 7.3   (0.75) 2.0   (0.57)
Staff interaction                                                                        
with parents   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 9.9   (0.46) 10.7   (0.59) 6.7   (0.93) 2.4   (0.53) 11.1   (0.36) 11.0   (0.41) 11.9   (1.03) 2.8   (0.49)
                                                                         
Very dissatisfied                                                                        
School 3.4   (0.23) 3.6   (0.26) 2.6   (0.54) 1.1 ! (0.43) 4.1   (0.37) 4.6   (0.44) 1.8   (0.51) 0.4 ! (0.17) 2.5   (0.18) 2.5   (0.21) 2.3   (0.39) 0.9 ! (0.32)
Teachers 2.0   (0.15) 2.0   (0.16) 2.1   (0.45) 1.0 ! (0.48) 2.4   (0.31) 2.7   (0.39) 1.1 ! (0.34) 0.7 ! (0.25) 2.0   (0.16) 2.0   (0.18) 2.0   (0.47) 0.5 ! (0.21)
Academic standards 3.3   (0.23) 3.4   (0.28) 2.7   (0.59) 0.7 ! (0.32) 3.7   (0.35) 4.3   (0.43) 1.0 ! (0.30) 0.3 ! (0.13) 2.2   (0.18) 2.3   (0.21) 1.8   (0.33)   (†)
Order and discipline 5.5   (0.35) 5.8   (0.38) 4.2   (0.72) 1.6 ! (0.62) 5.9   (0.41) 8.6   (0.50) 4.5   (0.82)   (†) 3.7   (0.20) 3.6   (0.22) 4.1   (0.59) 0.7 ! (0.30)
Staff interaction                                                                        
with parents   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 4.9   (0.42) 5.3   (0.48) 3.2   (0.62) 1.3   (0.38) 4.2   (0.24) 4.3   (0.28) 3.9   (0.55) 1.3 ! (0.40)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
1 In 68 cases in 2007 and 137 cases in 2012, questions about whether a student's school was assigned were not asked because parents reported the school as a private school, and it was only later identified as a public school based on administrative data. Due to the missing data on whether the school was assigned or chosen, these cases were included neither with assigned public schools nor with chosen public schools; however, they were included in the public school totals.
NOTE: Data exclude homeschooled children. While National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) administrations prior to 2012 were administered via telephone with an interviewer, NHES:2012 used self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires that were mailed to respondents. Measurable differences in estimates between 2012 and prior years could reflect actual changes in the population, or the changes could be due to the mode change from telephone to mail. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003, 2007, and 2012). (This table was prepared January 2017.)