Problem-Solving through Research: Our Students Aren't Recommending Our School...And What to Do About It

By Dr. Harry Bloom, Founder and President, Benchmarking for Good, Inc.

We recently surveyed over 1,400 of our high school students, asking them a simple but crucial question: "How likely are you to recommend our school to other Jewish families?" The results were sobering. While we have many satisfied students, too many wouldn't enthusiastically recommend their school to others.

After analyzing the data, we discovered not just why students hesitate to recommend us, but also a clear roadmap for change. The findings reveal both concerning trends and tremendous opportunities for improvement.

The Uncomfortable Truth: We're Losing Them by Grade 11

Let's start with the most striking pattern in our data: student satisfaction follows a predictable and troubling trajectory.

• Grade 9: Students arrive enthusiastic, with overall satisfaction at 3.60 out of 5

• Grade 10: The honeymoon ends, dropping to 3.50

• Grade 11: We hit rock bottom at 3.34 – our crisis year

• Grade 12: Slight recovery to 3.45, but the damage is done

This "Grade 11 Crisis" isn't just a number – it represents hundreds of students who have lost their connection to our school at the very moment when they're forming lasting opinions about their educational experience.

The Three Factors That Matter Most

Our analysis revealed something unexpected: not all satisfaction factors are created equal when it comes to generating student recommendations.

The Big Three: What Actually Drives Recommendations

1. Do Students Enjoy Coming to School? (r = 0.52) This single factor explains 27% of whether students will recommend us. It's not about academic rigor or college preparation – it's about the daily experience of being here. When we examined Grade 12 students specifically, this correlation jumped to 0.59, meaning nearly 60% of seniors' recommendations depend on whether they simply enjoy being at school.

2. Do They Feel They Belong? (r = 0.44) Sense of belonging explains another 20% of recommendation likelihood. This peaks in Grade 10, where it becomes the #1 predictor. Students who feel like outsiders don't just suffer silently – they actively discourage others from enrolling.

3. How's the Administrative Environment? (r = 0.42) The relationship between students and administrators explains 17% of recommendations. Most alarming: this score plummets from 3.69 in Grade 9 to 3.19 in Grade 11 – the sharpest decline of any factor we measured.

Why Grade 11 Is Our Achilles' Heel

The data reveals a perfect storm hitting our juniors:

• Administrative relationships crater (down 0.5 points from Grade 9)

• Lesson engagement hits bottom (3.07 out of 5)

• Learning from feedback drops below 3.0 – the only factor to fall below the midpoint

• School enjoyment reaches its nadir (3.39 vs. 3.68 for freshmen)

What's happening? Interviews suggest several factors:

• College pressure intensifies without adequate support

• Administrative focus shifts to seniors

• Social dynamics become more entrenched and exclusive

• The curriculum feels disconnected from their evolving interests

The Hidden Cost of Unhappy Students

When students don't recommend our school, the impact ripples far beyond enrollment numbers:

• Recruitment costs increase as we can't rely on word-of-mouth

• Community reputation suffers in tight-knit Jewish communities

• Sibling enrollment drops when older students discourage younger ones

• Teacher morale declines as they sense student dissatisfaction

• Donor confidence wavers when their children aren't enthusiastic advocates

A Data-Driven Action Plan: Four Changes We Must Make

1. Make School Enjoyable Again (Priority #1)

The Data: School enjoyment alone predicts recommendations better than all academic factors combined.

Action Steps:

• Audit what students find stressful vs. energizing

• Create more unstructured social time

• Redesign spaces for student comfort, not just function

• Celebrate small wins, not just academic achievements

• Institute "Joy Fridays" with reduced homework and enrichment activities

Success Metric: Increase "Enjoy School" score from 3.51 to 4.0 within one year

2. Emergency Intervention for Grade 11

The Data: Grade 11 shows the lowest satisfaction across nearly every metric.

Action Steps:

• Assign dedicated junior class dean focused solely on Grade 11 wellbeing

• Create junior-specific stress reduction programs

• Implement "Junior Journey" mentorship connecting 11th graders with recent alumni

• Reduce academic load during peak periods

• Host monthly "Administration & Answers" sessions exclusively for juniors

Success Metric: Close the Grade 11 satisfaction gap by 50% within one semester

3. Rebuild the Administrative Relationship

The Data: Administrative environment scores drop 0.5 points from Grade 9 to 11.

Action Steps:

• Require administrators to have weekly informal interactions with students

• Create "Administration-Free Zones" where students feel autonomous

• Train administrators in adolescent psychology and empathetic communication

• Institute student advisory councils with real decision-making power

• Make administrative accessibility a requirement, not an afterthought

Success Metric: Achieve 3.5+ administrative environment score across all grades

4. Foster Belonging Through Structure, Not Chance

The Data: Sense of belonging is the #2 predictor overall and #1 for Grade 10.

Action Steps:

• Implement systems that create smaller communities within the school

• Mandate inclusive lunch policies (no eating alone)

• Create interest-based clubs that cross grade levels

• Train teachers to spot and support isolated students

• Celebrate diverse achievements beyond academics

Success Metric: Reduce "neither/unsure" responses on belonging by 40%

What Success Looks Like: Measurable Outcomes

If we implement these changes effectively, here's what we should see within 18 months:

• Net Promoter Score increases from current level to 40+

• Grade 11 satisfaction rises from 3.34 to at least 3.50

• "Very Likely" to recommend increases from current ~56% to 70%

• School enjoyment scores reach 4.0+ for at least two grade levels

• Application inquiries increase through improved word-of-mouth

The Competitive Reality We Can't Ignore

Other competing day schools are already addressing these issues. They're creating joyful learning environments, supporting stressed juniors, and building genuine administrative relationships with students. Every month we delay action, we lose prospective families to schools that understand what really matters to students.

A Call to Action: The Time is Now

The data is clear, and the path forward is evident. Our students have told us exactly what would make them proud advocates for our school. They're not asking for easier academics or lower standards. They're asking for:

• A school they enjoy attending

• A place where they belong

• Administrators who create supportive environments

• Special attention during their most challenging year

The question isn't whether we can afford to make these changes. The question is whether we can afford not to.

Benchmarking for Good Can Help

Our no cost research grants can help your school learn about the strengths and weaknesses of its student advocacy and define a data-driven pathway to predictable improvement. To investigate the possibility of a research grant contact Dr. Harry Bloom at harrybloom@benchmarkingforgood.org