Best questions for high school sophomore student survey about school safety

Here are some of the best questions for a high school sophomore student survey about school safety, plus practical tips for crafting them. If you want to quickly build a smart, conversational survey, you can generate one with Specific in seconds—no guesswork required.

The best open-ended questions for high school sophomore student survey about school safety

Open-ended questions are game-changers—they help students express real feelings and reveal unique concerns that you might not anticipate on your own. If you want deeper, nuanced feedback instead of a simple checkbox, these are your go-to questions. Use them early in your survey (or for big-ticket issues) where you need context and honest opinions.

1. How safe do you feel in different areas of your school such as classrooms, hallways, restrooms, or outdoor spaces?

2. Can you describe a time when you felt unsafe or uncomfortable at school?

3. What are the most common safety concerns you and your friends talk about?

4. How does the school currently respond to safety incidents, and how do you feel about those responses?

5. What changes would make you feel safer at school?

6. Have you witnessed or experienced bullying, and how did the school address it?

7. How confident are you that teachers and staff can handle safety issues?

8. In your opinion, what’s the single biggest safety challenge at your school?

9. How does socioeconomic status or background affect how safe students feel at your school?

10. What suggestions do you have for making the school a safer place for everyone?

Recent research shows that 49% of high school students in Chicago are concerned about safety within their school campuses [3]. With so many students sharing these concerns, open-ended questions like these open the door for genuine, actionable feedback instead of generic survey responses.

The best single-select multiple-choice questions for high school sophomore student survey about school safety

Single-select multiple-choice questions shine when you want data that’s easy to quantify or if you’re kickstarting a more in-depth conversation. Students can answer quickly without overthinking, which means higher survey completion rates. After you spot trends, you can dig deeper with follow-up or open-ended questions.

Question: How safe do you feel during different times of the school day?

• Very safe

• Somewhat safe

• Neutral

• Somewhat unsafe

• Very unsafe

Question: Which area of the school feels least safe to you?

• Classrooms

• Hallways

• Restrooms

• Outdoor areas

• Cafeteria

• Other

Question: Have you ever missed a day of school because you were concerned about safety?

• Yes

• No

When to followup with "why?" It's smart to ask “why?” after a single-select choice, especially when responses indicate a problem or concern. For example, if a student chooses "Restrooms" for the place they feel least safe, follow up with: “Can you share what makes the restrooms feel unsafe to you?” That’s where insights surface that you just can’t get from a checkbox alone.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Include “Other” to give students space for unique experiences. If a student feels unsafe in a place not listed, a follow-up can uncover new risks or overlooked environments—this can seriously improve both safety awareness and future survey design.

Should you use NPS-type survey questions for high school sophomore student survey about school safety?

NPS (Net Promoter Score) asks students to rate, on a scale (usually 0-10), how likely they are to recommend their school as a safe place to others. For a topic as personal and complex as school safety, this quick question can actually spark honest reflection and, paired with a “why?”, delivers a fast temperature check on students' trust and perception.

A great twist: “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this school to a friend who cares about safety?” It’s relatable, easy to understand, and helps you instantly spot promoters, passives, and detractors—critical for prioritizing issues. For a ready-to-go NPS survey, try the NPS survey builder for sophomores and school safety.

It’s worth noting that in 2021, 9% of high school students reported missing at least one day of school in the past month due to safety concerns [2]. A question like this highlights systemic issues quickly—and helps guide precise follow-ups to take real action.

The power of follow-up questions

When you only collect surface answers, survey results end up vague. Specific’s AI-powered surveys turn static forms into real conversations. Our automatic follow-up questions feature generates expert-level probing questions in real time, reacting to student replies as a human researcher would. This isn’t just smart—it saves tons of time compared to chasing down clarifications over email or gathering incomplete feedback.

• Sophomore student: "I don’t feel safe in the halls."

• AI follow-up: "Can you describe what happens in the halls that makes you feel unsafe?"

• Sophomore student: "Hallways are fine, but the outdoor areas worry me."

• AI follow-up: "What about the outdoor areas makes you worry? Is it a specific time or event?"

How many followups to ask? Usually, asking 2–3 follow-ups gives you enough detail without overwhelming students. You can set your survey to skip further probing if the info is clear—Specific includes this as a built-in feature to keep things smooth.

This makes it a conversational survey: Instead of a boring checklist, it’s a back-and-forth dialogue—students share, you clarify, and you both actually understand what’s at stake.

AI-powered survey analysis: When you’re dealing with dozens (or hundreds) of open-ended replies, AI survey response analysis makes it painless to spot patterns, key phrases, and actionable problems. No more sifting through endless text—the machine does the heavy lifting, and you stay focused on solutions.

Automated probing like this is a new frontier in feedback—give the survey generator a try and watch these live insights appear.

How to compose chatGPT prompts for high school sophomore student survey about school safety

If you’re building your first survey or want to brainstorm new survey questions with AI, prompts make a difference. Try simple ones like:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for High School Sophomore Student survey about School Safety.

AI works better with context. For even better results, share details like your school, any specific issues, or what you’re hoping to learn:

I'm preparing a school safety survey for high school sophomores at an urban public school. The main concerns are bullying and lack of supervision in certain areas. Suggest 10 open-ended questions that help explore these topics.

To organize your survey, try this:

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

Then, pick a category (like “Bullying” or “Feeling safe in common spaces”) and ask:

Generate 10 questions for the category Bullying in school restrooms or hallways.

What is a conversational survey?

Conversational surveys aren’t traditional forms. Instead, you ask questions in a chat format and the AI—or human interviewer—reacts in real time. Suddenly, surveys aren’t static: students get prompts that make sense based on what they say, and you get responses that are deeper and clearer.

Here’s a quick comparison table:

Why use AI for high school sophomore student surveys? When you want honest, actionable feedback about school safety, students respond best to conversational surveys—especially when AI is smart enough to keep the chat relevant and to-the-point. You get more participation and far sharper insights than old-school forms. Try an AI survey example or use an AI survey maker to experience the difference.

We designed Specific for this—to deliver the smoothest, most interactive feedback experience for you and your respondents. That means less hassle, more context, and a much deeper understanding of school safety challenges. If you want a step-by-step walkthrough, check out our guide on how to create a high school sophomore student survey about school safety.

See this school safety survey example now

Take the next step: see what a truly smart, conversational school safety survey can do, and unlock richer, more honest feedback instantly with AI-powered questions and live follow-ups.