Best questions for high school senior student survey about sense of belonging at school

Here are some of the best questions for a high school senior student survey about sense of belonging at school, along with tips on how to craft them. If you want to build a survey yourself, you can instantly generate a tailored survey with Specific—it’s simple and surprisingly effective.

10 best open-ended questions for high school senior students about sense of belonging at school

Open-ended questions are essential when we want to hear students' true thoughts in their own words. They bring depth, reveal unexpected themes, and let us understand experiences that rigid choices might miss. These are best when you want stories, insights, or nuances—especially for complex feelings like belonging.

1. What does “belonging at school” mean to you, personally?

2. Can you share a moment when you felt truly included at school?

3. Describe a time when you felt left out or isolated at school.

4. What makes it easier or harder for you to feel like you belong here?

5. Who or what has helped you most to feel like part of this school community?

6. Are there any activities, clubs, or spaces where you feel most yourself?

7. How have teachers or staff influenced your sense of belonging?

8. If you could change one thing to help students feel more connected, what would it be?

9. In your experience, when do students at this school tend to feel excluded?

10. Is there anything else you wish adults at school understood about students’ sense of belonging?

Open-ended responses like these are gold. They make a real difference, especially since only 36% of high school students feel like a part of their school community most or all of the time [1]. Getting context in their own words can help shape a more supportive environment.

Top single-select multiple-choice questions for high school senior student survey about sense of belonging at school

Single-select multiple-choice questions come in handy when you want to quantify opinions or spot trends at a glance. They’re a great conversation starter—short choices make it easier for everyone to participate quickly. They’re also useful if you’re dealing with a large group and need to spot patterns before diving deeper with open-ended or follow-up questions.

Question: How often do you feel like you belong at this school?

• Almost always

• Sometimes

• Rarely

• Never

Question: Do you have at least one adult at school you can trust with a personal problem?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

Question: Which groups or activities make you feel most included?

• Sports teams

• Clubs/Organizations

• Classes

• Other

When to follow up with “why?” Whenever a student picks an option that feels vague or surprising, it’s smart to ask “why?”—it uncovers motivations or context you wouldn’t otherwise get. For example, if someone says they “rarely” feel like they belong, a follow-up like “Why is that?” can surface obstacles or stories behind that feeling.

When and why to add the “Other” choice? If your audience spans diverse interests or backgrounds, “Other” offers a safety valve. It’s perfect for capturing outlier or unexpected responses—students might mention groups or experiences you hadn’t considered. Always ask them to elaborate: these insights might point you toward new opportunities for inclusion.

With only 51% of U.S. high schoolers reporting a sense of belonging at school [1], these quick clicks combined with thoughtful follow-ups help close the gap between data and real understanding.

Does an NPS-style question make sense for this topic?

Let’s talk about using an NPS (Net Promoter Score) type question in a high school senior survey about sense of belonging at school. NPS isn’t just for customer satisfaction—when adapted for students, it quickly measures the likelihood that they would recommend their school as an inclusive place. It provides a single score you can benchmark, track changes over time, and compare across classes or schools. Want to try it? You can build an NPS survey with Specific in seconds.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are where the magic happens. Instead of static, one-shot surveys, automated follow-ups take you closer to conversational research. At Specific, our AI follow-up questions dig deeper in real time—clarifying, probing, and helping students articulate what matters most to them.

• Student: “I feel left out during lunch.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you tell me more about what happens during lunch that makes you feel that way? Are there particular groups or situations that stand out?”

Without follow-ups, that first reply is fuzzy—a dead-end. With a single follow-up, we get a clear story, which is much easier to interpret and act upon, especially when so many students report feeling left out or not truly themselves at school [2].

How many follow-ups to ask? Generally, 2–3 is the sweet spot. Any more, and you risk survey fatigue; any less, and you might miss interesting nuances. Specific actually lets you customize this—set how persistent you want the AI to be, or auto-advance once you have your answer.

This makes it a conversational survey: With back-and-forth, the survey feels more like a chat than an interrogation—boosting engagement and honesty.

AI survey response analysis: Even if you gather tons of free-text responses and follow-ups, AI-powered tools like AI survey response analysis make review effortless. You can summarize top themes or search for patterns in seconds, instead of getting lost in a spreadsheet.

Automated follow-up questions are a newer concept, but I highly recommend generating a survey with them and giving it a try. The difference in clarity and context is instantly noticeable.

How to compose prompts to create high school senior survey questions with ChatGPT or GPT-based survey builders

Want to create your own survey questions with AI? Start simple, then give the AI as much context as possible. Here’s a basic prompt:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for high school senior student survey about sense of belonging at school.

If you want better, more targeted results, tell the AI about your goals or unique circumstances. For example, add:

Our school has a diverse student body and a history of student-led clubs. We want feedback that helps us improve inclusion and student support for seniors. Suggest 10 open-ended questions for a high school senior survey about sense of belonging.

Once you get your initial set of questions, you can organize them with a follow-up prompt:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Then you can focus on specific themes. For instance:

Generate 10 questions for categories “school relationships” and “school environment”

This method gives you focused, high-quality surveys every time.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey replaces old-school forms with chat-like, interactive interviews. Instead of leaving students ticking multiple boxes, you get ongoing, natural dialogue. This approach feels more welcoming and yields richer insights.

Why use AI for high school senior student surveys? AI makes survey building almost effortless and helps you catch signals you might miss—especially as most students feel disconnected from their school community (only 38% feel like they can be themselves at school [3]). Responses are more candid, and you save time on both creation and analysis. It’s a win for both quality and speed.

Looking for help on getting started? Our guide to creating senior student surveys about sense of belonging walks you step-by-step through the process.

Specific is deeply focused on conversational surveys—ensuring every conversation feels natural and engaging for both creators and respondents, not just another boring form to slog through.

See this sense of belonging at school survey example now

Don’t wait to see how your seniors feel—see an example and create your own conversational survey today. With smart follow-ups and AI-powered analysis, you’ll get richer feedback, faster, and finally understand what’s driving (or blocking) real school belonging.