Pass or Fail? Teens Grade Their Schools

June 24 is "report card day" for schools across America -- but in this turnabout-is-fair-play twist, teens are the ones handing out the grades.

Earlier this year, Gallup asked teens* to grade 1) their own schools, 2) the technology available at their schools, 3) the extracurricular activities available at school, and 4) the first teacher they had that morning. While few teens gave schools a "D" or a failing grade in these areas, a closer look at the responses given suggests that some teens tend to be tougher graders than others. Does hesitancy to give out "As" indicate that schools are not satisfying some teens' needs?

Give Me an "A"

In looking at the overall grades given for each specific area, there is no strong consensus among teens about whether schools deserve As, Bs, or Cs. As such, it may be worthwhile to look at the teens who did (or didn't) give schools the top grade of A, as well as a grade-point average for each area.

Be True to Your School

Teens were reluctant to give As to their schools overall -- only 16% of teens did so. Instead, teens were most likely to grade their schools with Bs (37%) or Cs (33%). If schools overall were measured on a grade-point scale, with 4 points for an A, 3 points for a B, 2 points for a C, and so on, the GPA for schools overall would be 2.27 -- a C.

Although overall fewer teens gave their schools As, some teens were stingier than others in their grading. Teens who said their diet is "okay" or "not good" were less likely to give schools As than those who said their diet is "healthy." Twenty-eight percent of teens with healthy diets gave As, versus 12% of those with okay or poor diets. Also, those who consider themselves average or below average academically (11%) were less likely to give As than those who say they are near the top or above average in their class (21%). In addition, teens in families in which both parents attended college were more likely to assign their school an A grade (21%) than children in families in which one (13%) or neither parent (15%) attended college.

First Impressions

Thirty-four percent of teens gave the first teacher they had that morning an A, while 35% gave that teacher a B and 19% a C. Differences are also apparent among teens who consider themselves "near the top" or "above average" in class standing, and those who consider themselves "average" or "below average." Forty-one percent of "near the top" or "above-average" teens gave As to their teachers, versus 28% of average or below average teens. First teachers would have a GPA of 2.86 -- a C+.

Extra, Extra

Thirty-four percent of teens gave the extracurricular activities available at their schools an A, 33% gave them a B grade, and 20% a C grade. Extracurricular activities at school are usually sports or academics-related, which may explain some of the differences in some teens' likelihood to give As in this area. Teens who do not regularly participate in sports or exercise on a regular basis were less likely to give extracurricular activities an A than teens who do (25% and 37%, respectively). Similarly, teens who consider themselves above average or near the top of their class were more likely to give As than teens who consider themselves average or below average (37% versus 31%). Extracurricular activities would earn a GPA of 2.82 -- a C+.

Techno

In an age when nearly 99% of America's public schools are wired to the Internet, only 28% of teens gave the technology available in their schools an A (33% give a B and 20% a C). Teens who said they do not regularly exercise or play sports, and those who are average or below average in school (23%) were less likely to give their schools' technology As than those who are above average in class standing (33%). With a nationwide average of 3 students to every 1 computer, some teens' hesitancy to give the highest grade may reflect an overall lower engagement level with education rather than disappointment with school technology. Available school technology would earn a GPA of 2.67 -- a C+.

Bottom Line

What does all this spell for schools? Teens tend to grade their teachers and the extracurricular activities at their schools most highly, give slightly lower ratings to the technology available at their school, and give the lowest grade to their schools overall. The lower ratings of the schools could be due in part toward a somewhat generalized and less positive view of their school.

*The Gallup Youth Survey is conducted via an Internet methodology provided by Knowledge Networks, using an online research panel that is designed to be representative of the entire U.S. population. The current questionnaire was completed by 1,200 respondents, aged 13 to 17, between Jan. 23-Feb. 10, 2003. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3%. For a complete description of the sampling and weighting procedures used to conduct the survey, click here.