2026 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions

The 2026 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (“Virginia School Survey”) is administered to schools through a partnership between the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Arlington Public Schools will administer the Virginia School Survey from Jan. 12-30, 2026 to students in grades 9-12.

The purpose of the student survey is to measure student support, student engagement, school discipline, and safety conditions in each school. This information will be used to guide educational practices that produce a safe and supportive school environment. The survey is a component of the annual school safety audit which school divisions are required to submit to the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS), according to § 22.1-279.8.B of the Code of Virginia.

The survey will ask questions such as how students feel about their school, how they get along with one another and their teachers, their perceptions of school rules, and their views on their teachers’ willingness to help them. Please note that there are questions about topics that may be sensitive to some, including questions about bullying, mental health, and suicide. This is an ideal opportunity to discuss these important issues with your child. For guidance and resources on these topics, please see https://tinyurl.com/MentalHealthdcjs or https://tinyurl.com/VDOEstudentservices.

The survey does not ask for your child’s name and all answers are anonymous. No one, including teachers and administrators, will know how your child answered the survey questions. You will not have access to your child’s survey answers. You may preview the questions asked in the student survey at this website: https://tinyurl.com/VaSchoolSurvey.

The survey is voluntary, and families can opt their student out of participating in the survey. Families that would like to opt their student out of participating in this survey should complete the opt-out form by Fri, Jan. 9, 2026.