Student Life Office Administers Second-Ever Anonymous "Climate Survey"

Deerfield Academy administered its second-ever climate survey on April 6. The anonymous survey aimed to capture feedback about student life on campus, with questions ranging from time spent reading for pleasure to hours spent on social media. 

The first-ever climate survey was administered in the spring of 2023. Many of the logistics of the first administration carried over into the second. Students remained in their last-period classroom during flex time to take the survey, and those with a free period were assigned to a room to complete the form. 

The Student Life Office (SLO) decided early on to re-administer the survey at a later date this year. As Associate Head of School for Student Life, Amie Creagh noted that repeating the survey in three-year intervals allows the SLO to compare how responses change for students in certain class years between their 9th and 12th grade experiences. She emphasized the importance of this practice to “look longitudinally at [Deerfield students’] experiences.”

Results from the previous survey influenced SLO policy changes. In 2023, a question asked students if they believed they had an adult who could be a source of support in a time of personal need. Roughly 115 students stated that no such individual existed. Ms. Creagh noted that, as a response, the SLO focused on ensuring more students had these relationships. It implemented a survey to assess which students did not have these connections, then connected students in need of support with their advisor and grade dean.

The planning process for the 2026 survey began in earnest about 9 months out, with the SLO collaborating with the Information Technology Services (ITS) and other departments to ensure the survey process ran smoothly. 

In designing the new batch of questions, Ms. Creagh highlighted various areas of focus. One priority was to ask many of the same questions from the past survey to track changes in the Deerfield climate over time. Another set of questions reflected new policy priorities for the school, such as promoting voluntary reading. Finally, the third focus was on finding “new influence[s] in the high school experience that [the SLO] want[s] to be able to capture,” such as the rise of AI tools, the growing influence of social media, and the increasing prevalence of substances such as THC. 

Much like in 2023, the SLO plans to perform much of its analysis of survey data over the summer. Afterwards, they plan to share their findings in the fall at a School Meeting, faculty meetings, and with the Board of Trustees. As with the previous administration, the SLO plans to compare results for many of the Deerfield questions with those of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national questionnaire for teens and young adults that measures their behavior and their environments–serving as a national climate survey, of sorts.   

Reflecting on the overall experience, Ms. Creagh hoped that students continue to have faith in the survey’s anonymity. She emphasized that “no student is going to be pursued…for whatever their responses are [to the survey]….We did that 0 times in 2023. We’re doing that 0 times in 2026.” As part of this policy, the SLO noted in a school meeting announcement that it removed a potentially identifying question from the 2023 administration that asked international students about their nationality. 

As for the message the survey sends to students, Ms. Creagh emphasized that she hoped they feel “like their experiences matter and that [the SLO] want[s] students to have a good experience.”

Finally, she acknowledged how the questions serve as a scaffold for the Deerfield community: “The questions we ask…are, in a way, signaling what we care about as a school….[such as] health and well-being, sleep, connections with peers, connections with adults, healthy habits.”

With the 2026 administration done, and summer fast approaching, the SLO will soon begin to analyze the data, before using it to inform policy. Afterwards, it will turn its focus to the next administration.