Stay informed with news, updates, and best practices on the ParentSquare blog.
Explore
Core Platform
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH BY HANOVER RESEARCH
The 2026 K-12 Parent Communication and Engagement Survey
Hanover Research surveyed more than 1,000 K-12 parents, in English and Spanish, on how school communication factors into whether families enroll, stay, and recommend a school.
The quality of parent communication from schools influences where families enroll, whether they stay, and whether they recommend their school to others. This report, based on a national survey of K-12 parents conducted by Hanover Research, shows what parents value in school communication, what gets in the way of engagement, and how they view the attendance information they receive. Use it to find the places where your district can act right away.
What parents say about school communication
Retention
63% say communication quality influenced their decision to stay at their school
What parents want
64% say updates about their own child’s academic progress make them feel informed
Attendance
24% rarely or never hear from the school about their child’s overall attendance
Three key findings
Communication quality is a driver of retention, enrollment, and advocacy.
Communication quality influenced 63% of parents’ decision to stay at a school, 56% to recommend one, and 50% to enroll.
Personalization is essential to engagement.
85% of parents trust school communication and 81% find it relevant, but only 68% say it feels personalized.
Families have gaps in visibility into attendance information.
82% know their school’s attendance policy, yet nearly one in four rarely or never hear about their child’s overall attendance.
Download the full report to learn:
- Where communication ranks among the factors parents weigh when choosing a school
- The specific types of updates that make parents feel informed and supported
- What would make attendance communication more helpful, and how parents expect to be contacted when absences become a concern
Also included: which channels parents prefer and three takeaways district and school leaders can act on now
About the Study
The Hanover Research analysis included 1,031 respondents with at least one student enrolled in grades K-12 at a public, private, or charter school, recruited through a third-party panel provider. The survey was fielded online in English and Spanish in July and August 2026.
About Hanover Research
Founded in 2003, Hanover Research is a global research and analytics firm named a Top 50 Market Research Firm by the American Marketing Association every year since 2015. Learn more at hanoverresearch.com.
