At a school meeting on September 27, the Student Life Office presented the results of the Climate Survey to students and faculty. The SLO presented the same statistics to parents during Fall Family Weekend on October 20, and to the Board of Trustees when they visited campus in the last week of October.
The Student Life Office administered the 40-minute required Climate Survey during Flex Time on March 27. Students answered questions about their experiences with respect to inclusivity, learning, and relationships, among other topics.
Associate Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh mentioned that the survey results showed a gap between student perceptions and reality, so the Student Life Office wanted to clarify that divergence during their school meeting presentation. Ms. Creagh elaborated, saying, “Until you know otherwise, your perception is your reality. It’s important to know how perceptions influence the day-to-day lives of Deerfield Academy students.”
Regarding the presentation of the results, the SLO focused on acknowledging this deviation from the norm, hoping to shift student perspectives to a more accurate depiction of Deerfield. The question about alcohol consumption in the Winter Term is one instance where “norming” was taken into consideration. When presenting the results at school meeting, Dean of Students Samuel Bicknell acknowledged, “Of those who said yes, over half of those folks are no longer here because they’ve graduated.”
According to Ms. Creagh, the idea for an extensive Climate Survey emerged amongst the Student Life team before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and understanding Deerfield students became even more important to the Student Life Office after COVID-19. Ms. Creagh added, “We wanted to have a more scientific approach to the student experience and be able to compare it to the adolescent experience elsewhere.”
The Student Life Office has administered similar student life surveys in the past, such as the Thrive Survey from the last academic year. When asked about the differences between surveys, Ms. Creagh said, “The Climate Survey is a deeper dive into a more nuanced understanding of the student experience, while Thrive surveys are quick snapshots into moments in time.” According to Ms. Creagh, both surveys aim to help the Student Life Office offer the most engaged and connected student experience possible.
Mr. Bicknell and Ms. Creagh shared that anonymity and trust were incredibly important to the Climate Survey and are the reasons why they administered the survey as synchronously as possible and under faculty supervision. When asked about untruthful student responses, Mr. Bicknell said, “We want students to answer truthfully without people feeling like someone will come knocking at their door.” Ms. Creagh continued, “The second time we do the Climate Survey, we’ll ensure that it’s truly anonymous. Trust is a long game. It’s important that we give students a private setting to facilitate more honest sharing.”
The survey results were met with mixed reactions from the students, contrary to the Student Life Office’s hopes. “I think it was incredibly poorly delivered. Their tone did not match the severity of the content,” said Billy Tang ’25, who is also an associate editor for the Scroll.
Annabelle Martin ’24 expressed concerns with the presentation itself, saying, “I found it interesting, but it would be more beneficial if we had the data to draw conclusions ourselves.”
Jeanlukas Meza ’26 addressed the reliability of the data, saying, “I thought it was weird that so many school authority figures delivered the presentation together, and I questioned the credibility of the statistics.”
While the presentation did not speak to any plans in response to the survey’s results, Mr. Bicknell confirmed that the group who presented are often in meetings together, sharing ideas and checking in on each other.
Ms. Creagh emphasized that the survey’s existence is a large step forward, noting, “The survey itself is saying, ‘Please tell us about your experience,’ and we care enough about what you said to respond to it publicly.” Ms. Creagh has confirmed that the Climate Survey will return, but exactly when remains uncertain.