School Culture Assessment
WHAT IS A SCHOOL CULTURE ASSESSMENT?
With Fresh Eyes.
Get a clear, objective view of what’s working across your school – and where greater consistency, connection, or support could make a difference.
During this one-day, on-site assessment, Positive School Solutions observes your school in action – from classrooms and hallways to arrival, transitions, lunch, and other shared spaces. We identify patterns, strengths, and opportunities, then work with your leadership team to turn what we see into focused priorities and practical next steps.
WHY A SCHOOL CULTURE ASSESSMENT?
Sometimes it's hard to see the patterns when you're living them every day.
You know your school better than anyone. But when you’re managing schedules, students, staff, families, behavior, instruction, and everything else that comes with leading a school, it can be difficult to step back and see the bigger picture.
That’s where an outside perspective can help.
What's Working?
What strengths should we protect and build upon?
Where Are The Patterns?
Where are students and adults experiencing inconsistency?
What Matters Most?
Of everything we could work on, where should we focus first?
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR SCHOOL CULTURE ASSESSMENT
A Structured, Collaborative Process.
01
Start With Your Goals
We begin with your leadership team to understand what’s going well, what you’re noticing, and what you’d most like to learn from the day.
02
See Your School In Action
We move throughout the school, observing classrooms and shared spaces in approximately 10–20 minute intervals.
03
Look for Patterns
We look across what we’ve observed—not at individual teachers—to identify schoolwide strengths, patterns, inconsistencies, and opportunities.
04
Make Sense Of It Together
We sit down with your leadership team to share what we’re seeing, hear your perspective, and make connections.
05
Choose Where To Focus
Together, we narrow the possibilities into a manageable set of priorities aligned with your school’s goals.
Culture Happens Everywhere
Every interaction, transition, classroom, hallway, and shared space tells us something about what it feels like to be part of your school.
WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Multiple Perspectives. A Complete Picture.
Classrooms
Student engagement, learning environment, routines, interactions, and instructional practices.
Hallways & Transitions
Movement, expectations, adult presence and student interactions.
Shared Spaces
Cafeteria, arrival/dismissal and other common areas.
Adult-Student Interactions
Language, connection, responsiveness and consistency.
Expectations & Routines
How clearly expectations are understood and experienced across settings.
Culture & Belonging
The overall experience students and adults have as members of the school community.
This is not a teacher evaluation. We look across the school for patterns, not evaluating individual educators.
YOU WON'T JUST HEAR WHAT WE NOTICE.
You'll See It.
Following your assessment, your leadership team receives a customized School Culture Assessment Report that brings together what we observed across the day.
It highlights:
- Strengths to build upon
What is already working across your school. - Patterns worth paying attention to
Areas where greater consistency, clarity, or support may make a difference. - 1–3 recommended priorities
A focused starting point so your team isn’t trying to fix everything at once. - Practical recommendations
Strategies, resources, and next steps your leadership team can begin using right away.
The goal isn’t a report that sits on a shelf. It’s clarity about where to focus next.
"You pinpointed our exact challenge in just a few hours!"
-Principal, NJ Middle School
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Clarity is the Starting Point.
Your assessment gives your leadership team a clearer picture of where things stand and where to focus. From there, you can take the recommendations and move forward on your own—or continue the work with Positive School Solutions.
Take It From Here
Use your School Culture Assessment Report to guide your team’s priorities, conversations, and next steps – with a clear direction for moving the work forward.
Continue With Positive School Solutions
Want support putting those priorities into practice? Our Foundation Partnership provides ongoing implementation support throughout the year.
Looking for targeted professional learning?
Turn what you’ve learned into action with professional development designed around your school’s goals and areas for growth.
READY TO SEE YOUR SCHOOL WITH FRESH EYES?
Let's Spend a Day Getting to Know Your School.
Sometimes the clearest path forward begins with understanding exactly where you are.