2026 Data analysis · Sources & interpretation

School survey methodology, sources and limitations

How NYC School Ratings links official survey results to schools, preserves missing values and separates respondent groups, years and rating calculations.

By NYC School Ratings Team · September 15, 2026 · 4 min read

Source and reporting period

The 2026 NYC School Survey ran February 9–April 30, 2026. Profile results come from the official instrument-specific Excel summary sheets. Each result retains its original source identifier, download link, file hash, instrument and import date.

What a topic score means

The technical guide defines question favorability using valid responses and combines question percentages into a topic measure. We display the published summary value on its 0–100 scale without recalculating it. Response rates, when supplied, are shown separately from topic results.

Matching and canonical records

K–12 records match school DBNs. Birth-to-5 records match center location codes; an existing SEMS-to-DBN relationship links a center to its canonical school. Unmatched rows remain unassociated. We do not create duplicate schools or join on names or addresses.

Missingness and participation

Source N/A and blank scores stay “Not reported,” never zero. An overall response count is not the number answering every question. A low-count caution is shown below ten responses as a product warning, not an official suppression rule. Birth-to-5 summary files do not supply response rates.

Comparisons and ratings

The 2026 student survey is a new baseline. No prior-year student deltas are calculated. We do not compute a citywide respondent percentage by averaging school scores. The new survey layer does not change existing academic ratings or the neighborhood safety index.

Coverage and corrections

A profile shows only exactly matched source records. Different instruments can have different coverage. Questions and demographic breakdowns are not included in this initial profile release. Report a suspected mismatch through our contact page; include the school and source identifiers.

Five datasets, very different visibility

Share of each official file's records with at least one published topic score. This measures data coverage—not satisfaction or response rate.

K–12 families97.1%

1,792 with scores · 54 with no published topic scores

K–12 teachers99.6%

1,763 with scores · 7 with no published topic scores

K–12 students94.6%

1,062 with scores · 61 with no published topic scores

Birth-to-5 families83.7%

1,040 with scores · 203 with no published topic scores

Birth-to-5 teachers14.3%

151 with scores · 906 with no published topic scores

All five imported datasets · 7,039 source records, not unique schools
DatasetFile recordsWith scoresUnder 10 responses
K–12 families1,8461,79275
K–12 teachers1,7701,76371
K–12 students1,1231,06288
Birth-to-5 families1,2431,040432
Birth-to-5 teachers1,057151992

How the article charts are calculated

Each topic median gives one equal vote to each source record with a published value. It is not weighted by response count and must not be described as the percentage of all NYC respondents. Blank and N/A values are excluded topic by topic. We include unmatched source records in the article analysis so directory coverage does not select the analytical sample. Profile display still requires an exact identifier match.

The middle-half range is the 25th to 75th percentile using linear interpolation (R-7). It describes variation across records, not statistical uncertainty. Score bands are descriptive positions on a 0–100 scale, not official quality grades. No causal claims or prior-year student comparisons are calculated.

Sources, scope and limitations

Analysis snapshot: September 15, 2026. School/center medians are our analysis of the official summary sheets; individual-question citywide percentages and borough participation rates are attributed separately to NYCPS. Topic coverage varies. Published scores reflect respondents and do not establish cause, admissions availability or academic quality.

Audit the five source files

Continue the analysis

2026 New York state test results: preliminary release and next update →

What the preliminary 2026 ELA, math and science release means, and why final school-level results are not yet used in NYC School Ratings.

2026 NYC School Survey: results and what they mean for families →

Explore NYC family, teacher, student and early-childhood survey results, with participation context and links to individual school feedback.

2026 NYC family survey: participation and school experience →

See how family survey participation changed across NYC boroughs and how to use school-level feedback on education, communication and trust.

2026 NYC teacher survey: teaching, collaboration and leadership →

Understand teacher survey feedback on instruction, professional development and leadership, and how to read it alongside family and student results.

2026 NYC student survey: a new baseline for school experience →

Explore the new 2026 student survey baseline, including school safety feedback, and understand why previous-year comparisons are not valid.

2026 NYC early-childhood survey: family and teacher feedback →

Understand Birth-to-5 survey feedback for NYC early-childhood centers, including what it can and cannot tell you about 2-K, 3-K and pre-K.

Put the findings in context

See the data on a profile: P.S. 015 Roberto Clemente’s community feedback. Check the respondent group and participation; these are examples, not endorsements or representative citywide samples.

Independent analysis of public NYCPS data. Report a correction.