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School Trust Is Built in Everyday Interactions, New Research Finds
National survey from NSPRA and Qualtrics points to consistency, clear expectations and shared responsibility as important factors in how families experience their school districts
ROCKVILLE, MD. (Sept. 9, 2026) – New research from a national survey of school communication professionals by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and Qualtrics finds that trust in schools is shaped by not just major decisions, messages or moments of crisis, but also by everyday interactions families and community members have with their local schools.
The survey points to a strong connection between families’ everyday experiences with their school district, from routine interactions to navigating district processes, and their trust in it. Seventy-five percent of respondents believe that positive experiences in everyday interactions somewhat or significantly strengthen stakeholder trust. Among respondents who rated their districts very/extremely effective at providing consistent, positive interactions, that figure rose to 94%. By contrast, among respondents who rated their districts slightly or not at all effective, 72% said those interactions weaken trust.
“Families experience their school district in hundreds of everyday moments, from registering a child and navigating a website to calling a school office or trying to resolve a concern,” said Barbara M. Hunter, APR, CAE, executive director of NSPRA. “Each interaction communicates something about whether a district is responsive, reliable and attentive to the people it serves. This research reinforces that those moments are not separate from the work of building trust. They are part of it.”
The report, Strengthening Trust Through a Better K-12 Customer Experience, examines the quality, clarity and consistency of interactions across schools, departments, staff, systems and communication channels – collectively referred to as “customer experience.”
Districts See the Importance, but Consistency Remains a Challenge
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) said their district places a high or very high priority on intentionally shaping positive experiences for external audiences, but nearly half (49%) described customer experience as somewhat or very inconsistent across their district.
“School districts are clearly recognizing that the experiences of families and communities matter, but recognition is only the starting point,” said Nick Kohn, Ph.D., vice president of K-12 education strategy at Qualtrics. “The opportunity is to look across the full journey families have with a district, identify where friction or inconsistency occurs, and use what you learn to make those experiences more positive and consistent over time.”
The survey also found:
The findings suggest that stronger customer experience is associated with several reinforcing conditions, including clear expectations, staff training, leadership attention, monitoring and shared ownership. Among districts reporting more effective customer experience, 48% had formal, documented expectations, compared with 13% of districts reporting less effective experiences.
The report also emphasizes that improving the family experience is not the responsibility of a communications office alone. School communicators can identify recurring points of confusion, clarify family-facing information and help create consistency, while district leaders and process owners must address the policies, procedures and workflows behind those interactions.
“Trust can feel like a big, abstract challenge, but this research points to something districts can influence every day,” Hunter said. “Opportunities are everywhere to instill trust through clearer processes, consistent answers and successful handoffs, which will ultimately demonstrate to families that their district is listening, responsive and worthy of their confidence.”
About the Research
The national survey was fielded through NSPRA and Qualtrics networks from March 31-April 24, 2026, and received 145 responses. Eighty-seven percent of respondents worked for K-12 or PreK-12 school districts, and 98% represented districts or organizations with fewer than 50,000 students. Because participation was voluntary, the findings should be interpreted as directional rather than representative of all NSPRA members or U.S. school districts.
The full report, Strengthening Trust Through a Better K-12 Customer Experience: Insights from the 2026 National Survey, is available at nspra.org/Customer-Experience.
About NSPRA
As the leader in school communication, NSPRA serves more than 2,800 members who work primarily as communication directors in public school districts and education organizations throughout the United States and Canada. NSPRA provides high-quality professional development programming through on-demand learning, an annual National Seminar, webinars, online forums and resources. For more information, visit NSPRA’s website at www.nspra.org.
About Qualtrics
Qualtrics is the industry leader in measuring, understanding, and acting on experiences. With over 15 years serving K-12 education, Qualtrics is well positioned to serve all aspects of a district, from streamlining communications to creating operational efficiencies to understanding the impact of your instructional programs. Learn more at https://www.qualtrics.com/education/k-12-education/.
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