Student- and School-Level Predictors of High School Students’ Perceptions of School Climate: Implications for School Counselors

Abstract

Assessing school climate provides schools and school counselors with critical information about the social and physical health of a school. Researchers have examined predictors of students’ perceptions of school climate, but most studies have included only a few school-climate domains, convenience samples, and excluded student disability status. To extend knowledge about predictors of school climate, we conducted a study of student- and school-level predictors of students’ perceptions of overall school climate and eight school-climate domains. Using student responses from 353,280 high school students in 440 high schools in Georgia and multilevel modeling, we found that students with disabilities report lower levels of peer social support, school safety, and peer victimization. We also found that students in racially homogenous schools have lower perceptions of school climate, particularly cultural acceptance. The results are then contextualized for school counselors to identify prevention and intervention programs to address students at-risk for lower perceptions of school climate.

Keywords:

• school climate
• high schools
• students with disabilities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. School climate data were obtained through a freedom of information act request made to the Georgia Department of Education.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Education [H325D160019].