Here are some of the best questions for a parent survey about child’s academic progress, plus quick tips for building a truly insightful survey. With Specific, you can generate an engaging, effective parent survey in seconds that feels like a natural conversation.

Best open-ended questions for parent survey about child’s academic progress

Open-ended questions give parents space to provide detailed, honest feedback—helping us uncover what truly matters to them. They're especially powerful when you want context, stories, or suggestions, and they often reveal insights you might never have thought to ask for directly. We’ve all seen how data can miss the mark: in a recent Learning Heroes survey, 92% of parents believed their kids were at grade level, but only half of students actually were[1]. Genuinely open dialogue helps bridge that gap.

1. What are your primary concerns regarding your child's academic progress this year?

2. Can you share specific moments when you felt proud of your child's academic achievements?

3. What aspects of your child's learning experience need the most improvement?

4. How do you think your child feels about their schoolwork and classroom environment?

5. Are there subjects or skills where your child consistently excels or struggles?

6. What, if any, support does your child need at home or school to succeed academically?

7. How have you been involved in your child's learning this term, and what worked well?

8. Describe any changes in your child’s motivation or attitude toward schoolwork lately.

9. What communication from teachers or the school has been most helpful for you?

10. Is there a question you wish we'd asked about your child’s academic journey?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for parent surveys about child’s academic progress

Single-select multiple-choice questions simplify feedback, making it easy for parents to respond quickly—ideal when you want to quantify opinions, spot trends, or reduce the time it takes parents to complete the survey. Sometimes a simple choice kickstarts the conversation, and you can always use follow-up questions to dig deeper where it matters.

Question: How confident are you in your child's current academic performance?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Not confident

• Unsure

Question: Which area do you feel your child needs the most support in?

• Reading and writing

• Math

• Science

• Social skills

• Other

Question: How satisfied are you with the communication between school and home?

• Very satisfied

• Satisfied

• Neutral

• Dissatisfied

When to follow up with "why?"—If a parent chooses "Not confident" or "Dissatisfied," asking why unlocks invaluable specifics: “What experiences have made you feel this way?” allows us to address real issues, not just numbers.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Some parents’ experience won't fit neatly into categories—"Other" lets them share concerns you may not have anticipated. A smart follow-up here (like, "Can you describe what other support your child needs?") often uncovers unexpected, actionable insights.

NPS-style question for parent survey about child’s academic progress

The NPS (Net Promoter Score) approach isn’t just for product teams—it works for school-home communication too. NPS questions gauge not just satisfaction, but advocacy: “How likely are you to recommend this school’s academic program to other parents?” scored 0–10, followed by a prompt for comments. This one question pinpoints advocates, critics, and those in between—the starting point for meaningful follow-up. For a ready-to-use version, try the NPS survey builder for parents.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions transform surveys into actual conversations. Instead of guessing what a parent meant, we can ask clarifying questions, get context, or explore emotions—automatically, in the moment. Read more about automated AI follow-up questions and why they’re essential.

Specific uses AI to generate smart, real-time follow-ups tailored to each response, so we never miss context. For us, that means richer, deeper insights—while saving hours compared to manual emailing or chasing up parents for clarification. And because these follow-ups are conversational, the whole process feels more natural and engaging for everyone.

• Parent: I’m not confident in the math support.

• AI follow-up: Can you share more about the specific challenges your child faces in math or what support would help most?

How many follow-ups to ask? Two to three targeted follow-ups are usually enough to get the full picture. It’s smart to allow parents to skip if they've said all they want. Specific lets you set this balance—thorough, but never overwhelming.

This makes it a conversational survey—turning traditional forms into dynamic, responsive interviews that parents actually enjoy.

Easy analysis, even with lots of text: With AI-powered analysis, reviewing and interpreting all these rich, open-ended responses is straightforward. Learn how to analyze parent survey responses using AI—no need to worry about sorting through a wall of text yourself.

These automated follow-ups are a game-changer—generate a survey and see the difference first-hand.

How to prompt ChatGPT for parent survey questions about child’s academic progress

Want to brainstorm your own? Well-crafted prompts bring the best out of AI tools like ChatGPT or Specific’s survey builder. Start simple:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for parent survey about child's academic progress.

But the real magic happens when you give the AI specific context—about your school, goals, or challenges:

We’re an elementary school focused on nurturing reading skills in grades 1–4. Please suggest 10 open-ended survey questions for parents whose kids struggle in reading, aiming to improve our programs.

After you have some questions, ask the AI to organize them by theme:

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

Then zoom in on what matters most:

Generate 10 questions for categories Reading Support and Parental Involvement.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey goes far beyond checkboxes and static forms. It uses real-time, AI-powered chat to engage each person individually, adapting in the moment and asking relevant follow-up questions. This dynamic approach helps you get more honest, detailed, and actionable feedback than any traditional form can deliver.

Let’s look at why this works. AI-powered surveys deliver much higher completion rates (70–90%) vs. traditional surveys (10–30%), and reduce abandonment down to 15–25% (compared to 40–55%)[2][3]. That’s because people find the process friendlier, more relevant, and less of a chore; the survey adapts in real time to what matters to each individual.

Why use AI for parent surveys? AI makes parent surveys easier to build, more engaging for parents, and faster to analyze. An AI survey example can engage hesitant parents who might skip a traditional form and reveal actionable data you’d otherwise miss. Modern tools like Specific are purpose-built for conversational surveys, offering an exceptional user experience for both creators and respondents. It's never been simpler to make feedback a two-way conversation.

If you want to learn how to create a survey like this, check out our article on how to create a parent survey about child’s academic progress.

See this child’s academic progress survey example now

See how conversational, AI-powered surveys make it easy to tap into parents’ real needs and turn feedback into clear, actionable insights—tailored instantly to your school or classroom.