The Social Emotional Survey is a schoolwide survey required by the district to better understand how students feel about their school environment. The survey focuses on key subjects such as student well being, the overall sense of safety, and overall mental health. By collecting honest feedback from students, the school hopes to identify ways to improve the school atmosphere as much as they can.

The survey was scheduled to be sent out on 5 November, 2025 during ACCESS, but many students encountered technical difficulties with the application used to access it on their school-issued Chromebooks.

Due to these technical difficulties, students had to take the test on the web browser version of the program.

Teachers and staff worked quickly to help students through the new process and ensure that everyone could complete the survey.

Despite the initial setbacks, the survey was successfully finished later that day.

The survey was originally conducted by an outside company, but the responsibility was eventually shifted to the school so it could be managed by inside staff.

Mrs. Arora, an English teacher at Granada high school, explains, “We used to have an outside company run the survey, but realized that we could save so many by asking the same questions ourselves.”

“As teachers, we look at those surveys and we look at the trends in student responses to kind of reflect on how we’re doing as a school.”

Many students said the delay was inconvenient, but appreciated the school’s effort to make sure everyone could take the survey. However, some students felt the survey didn’t have much purpose or wouldn’t lead to real changes.

Corey Eldridge, a senior at Granada High School, admits, “I just kind of think it’s pointless because I feel like the data means nothing since no one actually seems to take it seriously.”

“For sure, it feels like the school is only conducting the survey as a formality. I answered the questions truthfully, but I feel like this is something they’re mandated to do, not something they’re doing willingly,” said Eldridge.

It is speculated that the district uses student results to try to improve the school atmosphere, Eldridge argues, “I don’t think they use it to make changes because what has changed?”

Arora offers a different perspective, emphasizing the value teachers care about student well-being. She argues that, “When I give students the survey I tell them that we, the teachers, actually look at the data. We look at those numbers and we really do think about how we are doing as an instructor. So the students take it seriously because I tell them that I care about them.”

Her view suggests that even if students don’t always notice big or immediate changes, the survey results still play a role in how teachers think about their classes and the choices they make.

According to Arora, the surveys help teachers better understand what students need, make adjustments to their teaching, and create a more positive and supportive classroom environment.

Angel, another senior, they noted that the survey had changed and does not have open-ended questions where students can type free responses anymore. This change makes some students feel like their voices are more limited, since they no longer have more free will to explain their thoughts in depth.

He mentioned that while the multiple-choice questions are easy to answer, they don’t always capture how students truly feel.

The mandated student survey plays a complicated but important role at Granada High School. While some students question whether the survey leads to real changes or truly captures their voices, teachers such as Mrs. Arora see it as a meaningful tool for understanding students.

Even with its hotly debated changes, the survey still offers general insight into student experiences.