By: HISD Press Office
Today, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) released the results of its 2025 Family Sentiment Survey, capturing the perspectives of families from 259 of 274 campuses. Responses were collected between May 29 and June 30 in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Farsi, and Mandarin. The survey results were weighted to ensure a valid, representative sample of HISD’s community.
HISD, one of the most di- verse districts in the nation, serves a student body that is 62% Hispanic, 21% Black, 10% White, 5% Asian, and nearly 3% multi-racial, with less than 1% identifying as American Indian or Native Hawaiian. The sentiment sur- vey reflects the voices of this diverse parent community.
“HISD families are clear: they see progress in classrooms and are confident that students are learning and being prepared for the future. A majority of families believe their school is doing better than it was a year ago, and that’s a great testament to the transformation and the tremendous work of our educators and staff,” said Superintendent Mike Miles. “At the same time,
we take seriously the areas where families want stronger connections. This survey is another step in improving our schools and our students’ experiences.”
Key Highlights
• 71.5% of families believe HISD is preparing their child for life, career, or continuing education—with three-fourths of economically disadvantaged families affirming this confidence.
• A majority of families report their child’s school is doing better than it was a year ago—including 62% of His- panic families and 61.5% of economically disadvantaged families.
• 73.5% of families said their child is learning as much as expected, or mostly so.
• A majority of families across all four District divi- sions (Central, North, South, West) believe classroom instruction meets their child’s needs.
• Families ranked “believing their child is safe at school” as a top issue—and nearly 8 in 10 families report their child’s school provides a safe and welcoming environment.
• More than 60% of parents would recommend their school to other families, and 78% say they feel well-in- formed about school activities and events.
The survey identified several focus areas moving forward:
• Although high school families report positive experiences, their overall sentiment lags behind other grade levels. HISD will continue the use of ParentSquare, family surveys, and principal/counselor office hours to strength- en communication.
• White families (70.9%) and economically advantaged families (66.1%) reported HISD is “getting worse”, indicating that sentiment among these groups is negative. HISD looks forward to continuing to gather direct feedback and engaging with families in conversations to understand this lag and determine if there are actionable solutions that keep students’ academic results at the forefront.
• Black family engagement: While Black and Hispanic student achievement has dramatically increased over the past two years, HISD acknowledges the need to deepen partnerships with Black families, as their sentiment lags behind that of other parent groups.
The District thanks families for taking part in the 2025 Family Sentiment Survey as part of HISD’s ongoing commitment to listening to families and identifying opportunities for improvement.
