In a nutshell
According to an Aug. 7 presentation to the board of trustees, CFISD partnered with research firm Baselice & Associates to survey parent attitudes toward the district, including academic rigor, reasons for attending CFISD schools and whether they plan to remain in the district.
This is the third year CFISD has conducted the study, having previously surveyed parents in 2016 and 2022. A majority of questions remained the same as years prior, with a few additions in 2025 to gauge awareness of voucher legislation.
The district surveyed 2,011 total respondents between April 28-May 4, compared to 1,450 in 2022 and 840 in 2016.
By the numbers
To assess whether parents are more likely to keep their youngest child in CFISD or switch to a non-CFISD alternative, the district asked respondents to indicate their plan for the next school year:
- 63% said definitely staying
- 20% said probably staying
- 11% were unsure
- 4% said probably switching
- 2% said definitely switching
When asked to describe in their own words why they were considering switching to a non-CFISD alternative, top parent responses included academics/teachers, safety/discipline and a better/different setting, according to the results.
For those keeping their child in the district, the most common reasons included:
- Likes public education or CFISD
- Academics and teachers
- Location and convenience
Also of note
A majority of respondents across all three years said CFISD’s academic standards are “about right.” However, the percentage of parents who think the district’s standards are “too low” has steadily climbed since 2016.
Chief Academic Officer Tonya Goree said during the Aug. 7 work session that district staff have developed resources to help elementary teachers better identify students who may be eligible for the Gifted and Talented program. She said the district is also looking to implement more assessments to closely monitor incremental growth and outcomes.
“We do have a rigorous and robust curriculum,” Goree told the board. “Are we always looking to review and make sure that we are making edits and changing with the needs of our students and the time? Absolutely.”
Another detail
According to a copy of respondent demographics obtained by Community Impact:
- 74% identified as female, while 26% identified as male.
- Half were aged 35-44, 34% were 45 or older and 16% were below 35.
- 40% identified as Hispanic, 27% as white, 16% as African-American and 17% as other.
- 42% had an income of $75,000 or higher, 27% had an income under $75,000 and 32% had an unknown income.
Superintendent Doug Killian said Aug. 7 that the survey results reinforced what the district already knew it needed to focus on for the 2025-26 school year. He said with school choice and vouchers fresh on people’s minds after the Texas legislative session, the district will focus on demonstrating why parents should choose CFISD schools.
Killian said one of the biggest takeaways from the survey was interest in expanding extracurricular activities, which would make CFISD schools more competitive against those outside of the district. He noted the district is already rich in extracurricular options, but could be doing a better job in sharing those opportunities.
“We need to [find] those other niches that we can go into to help attract kids into our school system,” Killian said. “We have a great school system; we just need to be doing a better job in communication and take it to another level.”
