To help better understand the needs of students and their families, the Peel District School Board launched its first Student Census in November 2018. Students in grades 4 to 12 were invited to fill out a questionnaire that asked them questions about themselves and their experiences inside and outside of school. Parents/guardians of students in kindergarten to grade 3 received a questionnaire to fill out on behalf of their child(ren).
A total of 127,377 Student Census questionnaires were completed, resulting in a response rate of 79.2% for all Peel board schools—75.1% for all elementary schools and 90.5% for all secondary schools and specialized sites.
After thorough analysis, the Peel board's Research and Accountability department has developed a series of reports to help inform board and school decision-making. Findings in these reports, and future Student Census reports, will assist the board and our schools to:
- better understand student populations and school communities
- identify and eliminate barriers to student success, inclusion and well-being
- establish effective programs and reallocate resources to where they are needed most
View the reports
Note: These reports do not provide any connections between specific student identities and their experiences—that data is still being analyzed. Our reports or analyses will also never identify any single student. By law, the Peel board cannot reveal individualized information for any student/parent who completes the census.
Additional resources
Next steps
We will use these findings, along with other relevant research reports and ongoing consultation with staff, students, families and community members, to inform decision-making moving forward. Next school year, we will launch a new eDashboard, which will provide school administrators with the opportunity to view school-specific data for the Student Census and integrate this data into their school success planning.