School Climate and Well-Being Survey

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is committed to fostering inclusive, healthy, and safe learning environments. To better understand the demographics, perspectives, and lived experiences of our students, families, and staff, we will be conducting the Grade 4-12 School Climate and Well-Being Survey from Tuesday, April 22nd to Friday, May 2nd, 2025.

This survey, guided in part by the Accepting Schools Act, seeks to gather input on school experiences, attitudes, and well-being. After public consultation, and in alignment with our Multi-Year Strategic Plan priorities of Meaningful Learning, Connected Communities, and Well-Being, the survey has been revised for the 2024-25 school year.

To ensure transparency, sample surveys are now available for your review so you can familiarize yourself with the questions being asked. Please note that the information listed in the purple boxes found in these sample surveys will not appear in the actual surveys used. The information in the purple boxes are there to indicate the next series of questions that the participant will be directed to based upon their responses to certain questions.

We appreciate your participation, as the insights gathered will help us enhance the school experience for all students.

Sample Survey Questions

Durham District School Board – Notice of Collection

The Durham District School Board will be administering the School Climate Survey to students, parents, families, and caregivers, and staff at the end of April, 2025. When responding to the questions in this survey, participants should not include their name, student number, Ontario Education Number (OEN) or any other unique identifier (e.g., email address, telephone number).

We collect, use, and disclose your responses to:

develop a demographic profile of our student population by district and by school,
better understand the learning needs of particular sub-groups of students,
support student achievement and well-being and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our policies, and
to comply with our reporting obligations to the Ministry of Education. Please note that we disclose aggregated data, and not individual responses, to the Ministry of Education.

Paper surveys are collected through bonded couriers and retained in a physically secured location. All digital data (i.e., both raw and processed data) is retained on networks that are encrypted, password protected and available to only those in Research and Strategic Analytics, IT staff, school administrators, and Superintendents.

Participants are asked to respond to each question to the best of your ability. However, please note that you are not required to answer any questions in this survey; You may choose to skip all or some of the questions for any reason.

Any personal information you provide in this survey is collected pursuant to section 169.1 of the Education Act, RSO 1990, c. E.2. If you have any questions about how Durham District School Board collects, uses, discloses and retains your personal information in connection with this survey, please contact Michael Menheere by email at research@ddsb.ca, by telephone at 905-666-5500 or by mail at: 400 Taunton Road East, Whitby Ontario, L1R 2K6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rational for conducting the School Climate and Well-Being Survey Survey Process

The administration of the 2024-25 School Climate and Well-Being Survey will take place between April 22nd and May 2nd, 2025.

How do students, families and staff complete the DDSB School Climate and Well-Being Survey?

Each family in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 will receive an invitation email on April 22nd with a link to the online survey for parents/guardians.

Each student from Grade 4 to Grade 12 will receive a link to the online survey for students from school staff during the administration period. Students can choose to participate in the survey either at school or at another time or location of their choosing.

Each staff member will receive a link to the online survey for staff from school administration.

What browser should I used to complete the School Climate and Well-Being Survey?

For the most secure and best experience, we recommend using the newest version of the following browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

What if students and families can’t access the online School Climate and Well-Being Survey?

The DDSB is committed to meeting our responsibilities under the Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities act (AODA). The School Climate and Well-Being Survey is also available in paper format and large print. If you require an accessible or alternative format to access or complete the survey, please email research@ddsb.ca for further assistance.

How long does it take to complete the School Climate and Well-Being Survey?

The School Climate and Well-Being Survey takes approximately 15-25 minutes to complete.

Consent and Accessibility

Will students/families have the opportunity to review the School Climate and Well-Being Survey before the administration date?

Yes. The School Climate and Well-Being Survey, as well as other communication documents, is posted on the board website for students and families to review prior to the launch date.

A public consultation was conducted in December and January to review the proposed questions. Feedback from this consultation has been incorporated in the current version of the School Climate and Well-Being Survey.

Does every question need to be answered?

Participation in the School Climate and Well-Being survey is voluntary. Students, families, and staff may choose to skip questions if they do not wish to provide answers or choose not to participate at all. However, it is important to note that the higher the completion rate, the richer and more reliable the information will be for school/system improvement and programming planning.

Is the School Climate and Well-Being Survey available for students with different abilities/disabilities needs?

Every student, family, and staff member at the DDSB has the opportunity to participate in the School Climate and Well-Being Survey. Although students from Grades 4 to 12 will be provided with an opportunity to complete the survey in class, students are welcome to complete the survey at another time; for example, at home with assistance from their parents/guardians or caregivers.

Will the School Climate and Well-Being Survey be available in a variety of languages?

The survey has not currently been translated into other languages. However, in the online format, Google Translation is available.

Confidentiality Security and Data Use

Is the School Climate and Well-Being Survey confidential and anonymous?

Yes. No identifying information such as student names or student ID’s will be asked in the survey. However, given the volume of responses, additional suppression rules will be applied to maintain confidentiality and guard against identification through triangulation of data.

What procedures are in place to ensure the security of the data?

The online survey uses a forced encrypted questionnaire with secure methodology (HTTP /SSL over TLS). This electronics database is housed at the secured DDSB server. Paper surveys returned to Research and Strategic Analytics will be entered into a secure database.

How will the School Climate and Well-Being Survey data be used?

The information gathered from this survey is used to inform planning, monitoring, and evaluation related to supporting Positive School Climates and Well-Being in the Durham District School Board (DDSB).

Will students, families, or staff be denied access to any programs if the School Climate and Well-Being Survey is not completed?

Students, families or staff who do not complete the school climate survey will not be denied access to any programs or initiatives.