Executive Summary
This report summarizes the Challenge Success-Stanford Survey of School Experiences (CS) responses of middle and upper school students attending National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) member schools from fall 2022 to December 2024.This report details statistics of the survey’s primary measures: well-being, engagement in school, and belonging, including variations by gender identity, grade level, and race/ethnicity. It also discusses correlations between the primary measures in each of the two divisions.
Finally, data related to several positive outliers are described, that is, data at specific schools that lie outside of the distribution of the sample as well as specific structures at these schools that may shed light on the drivers of these outcomes.
Methods & Sample Demographics
The sample for this study comprises students from 62 upper schools and 49 middle schools, representing a diverse range of independent schools. The total sample includes 23,931 students in grades 9 through 12 and 6,846 students in grades 6 through 8.Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Gender Identity
- Middle Schools: The gender identity distribution among middle school students (based on responses from 5,803 students) is 49% girls/women, 48% boys/men, and 2% identifying as nonbinary or transgender.
- Upper Schools: Among upper school students (based on responses from 19,895 students), 56% identify as cisgender girls/women, 40% as cisgender boys/men, 2% as nonbinary, 1% as unsure, and 1% as transgender. Note that there is an overrepresentation of girls/women in the sample because of Challenge Success’ partnership with the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools in school year 2023-2024.
- Middle Schools: The racial demographics of middle school students include 54% white, 13% Asian, 5% Latino/a/x, 8% Black, 6% multiethnic/multiracial, 4% South Asian or Indian, and 3% Middle Eastern or Arab (fewer than 1% of students identified as Native American, Indigenous, Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander).
- Upper Schools: Among upper school students, the racial composition is similar, with 54% white, 15% Asian, 7% Latino/a/x, 7% Black, 6% multiethnic/multiracial, 3% South Asian or Indian, and 2% Middle Eastern or Arab (fewer than 1% of students identified as Native American, Indigenous, Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander).
Downloadable Content
- Read the full report: NAIS Research: 2022-2024 Well-Being, Engagement, and Belonging at NAIS Schools (PDF; member login required)