District 196 Asked Families What They Really Think — Here's What They Said
TLDR
District 196 ran its first-ever family survey, and nearly 5,800 families answered.
90% rated their kid's education excellent or good, with 52% saying "excellent."
Families flagged teacher communication and bus reliability as the biggest things to fix.
The district's already making changes, like moving all messages into one app called ParentSquare.
A Big, Honest Response
The survey ran in May and June. It got 5,778 responses, representing about 6,082 students — roughly 23% of everyone enrolled in the district. Because families chose whether or not to respond, this isn't a random, scientific sample. It's what the district calls "directional" data — a strong signal, but not a perfect mirror of every family's experience.
The headline number is a good one: 90% of families rated their child's education as excellent or good, with 52% choosing "excellent." That rating stayed high across different racial and ethnic groups, ranging from 86% to 95%.
Three Things Families Said They Want
The survey organized responses around three big ideas families said matter most day to day.
First, feeling welcomed and valued — 84% to 89% of families felt positive here. Second, whether their child is happy and progressing — 82% said their kid enjoys school, 93% said staff genuinely care, and 87% said their child feels well-prepared. Third, whether the school is a trusted partner — 91% said staff respect their family's customs, 91% said communication is clear, and 91% said they feel welcomed when they visit.
What Families Said About Technology
A chunk of the survey focused on how families feel about classroom technology, especially iPads. 81% of families said technology helps personalize their child's learning, and 91% said they get adequate support with devices.
Here's an interesting split: 66% of elementary families said their kid doesn't need an iPad at home, which supports the district's current approach of keeping elementary devices mainly at school. But 70% of middle and high school families said their kid does need a device at home. Most families — 75% — also said they know how to limit their kid's iPad use at home, though that number is higher for elementary families (82%) than high schoolers (73%).
Where Families Say the District Needs to Improve
Not everything scored high. A handful of areas came in under 80% positive, including how often teachers communicate, getting enough information to help kids with schoolwork at home, and whether discipline gets enforced consistently across schools — though it's worth noting the actual discipline data is kept private, so families are going off their own impressions here. Bus reliability and clearer guidance on screen time also came up as areas needing work.
When families answered in their own words, the most common compliments were about caring teachers and staff, the district's "AAA" philosophy (which stands for its academics, arts, and activities approach), a wide variety of opportunities, and a strong sense of community. The most common complaints were about transportation, student behavior and discipline, screen time, teacher communication, and political or cultural tension in schools.
What Happens Next
The district is already making changes based on the feedback. All family communication is being consolidated into one app, ParentSquare, replacing tools like Remind, Sign Up Genius, and one-off text messages. The district also plans to set clearer expectations for how often teachers communicate, rework how it approaches family engagement overall, and put together new resources on screen time.
On transportation, the district is rolling out an opt-in tool called "Plan My Ride," new routing software, and is planning school start-time changes for fall 2027. Rosemount-area families also flagged class size concerns that the district says it's tracking.
Superintendent Bosone said the district also held listening sessions specifically for Spanish-speaking families this year, to make sure the survey wasn't the only way families could weigh in. Going forward, this survey will happen every year, and the district plans to move it up to April so results come back earlier in the school year.
The Bottom Line
If you filled out the survey, the district says it's actually reading and acting on what you said — especially around communication and transportation. If you didn't get a chance to fill it out this year, watch for it again next spring, since the district plans to run it every April from now on.
FAQ
How many families actually responded to the survey? 5,778 responses came in, representing about 6,082 students — roughly 23% of all students in the district.
Is 90% approval a reliable number? It's a strong signal, but since families chose whether to respond, it's not a scientific random sample. The district calls it "directional" data rather than a precise measurement.
Is the district getting rid of iPads? No. In fact, the survey backed up keeping iPads mainly at school for elementary kids, since most elementary families said they don't need one at home. Middle and high school families were more likely to say they need one at home.
What's changing with school communication? The district is moving everything into one app called ParentSquare and phasing out other tools like Remind and Sign Up Genius, so families aren't getting messages from five different places.
Will there be another survey next year? Yes. The district plans to run this survey every year going forward, and it's moving the timing up to April so results come back sooner.
