Here are some of the best questions for a parent survey about student well-being, along with straightforward tips for crafting them. You can effortlessly build your own conversational survey using AI – try generate your survey in just seconds with Specific.
Best open-ended questions for parent survey about student well-being
Open-ended questions give parents the space to express their real thoughts, concerns, and ideas. They’re perfect when you want authentic, detailed feedback rather than simple yes/no answers. In our experience, they build trust, show empathy, and uncover root causes behind struggles. With parental worries over children’s mental health now at 67% nationwide, it’s critical to collect honest, nuanced stories rather than just statistics. [1]
What changes have you noticed in your child’s well-being this year?
Is there anything at school you wish your child had more support with regarding their emotional or social health?
Can you describe a situation where your child seemed especially happy or stressed at school?
What helps your child feel safe and supported during the school day?
Are there ways you’d like the school to communicate or collaborate with you about your child’s mental health?
What are your biggest hopes or concerns about your child’s school experience right now?
How does your child typically respond after a day at school – relaxed, anxious, excited, etc.?
Is there a moment you feel the school handled your child’s needs especially well or could have done better?
What outside support (if any) do you rely on for your child’s mental and emotional well-being?
Are there resources, programs, or topics you’d like to see offered to help families and students?
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for parent survey about student well-being
Single-select multiple-choice questions are a great fit when you need to quantify parental sentiment or kick off deeper conversations. Sometimes it’s easier for parents to click a quick answer, and that opens the door for more detailed follow-ups. Especially when you want to spot trends – or when a busy parent may only have a minute or two but still wants to participate.
Here are three solid examples for a student well-being parent survey:
Question: How would you rate your awareness of the school’s mental health resources?
Very aware
Somewhat aware
Not very aware
Not aware at all
Other
Question: How often does your child talk to you about their feelings related to school?
Daily
Several times a week
Once a week
Rarely
Never
Question: Do you feel the school adequately supports your child’s mental and emotional well-being?
Yes, always
Yes, sometimes
No, not enough
I’m not sure
When to follow up with "why?" After a parent chooses an option (especially a negative or uncertain one), immediately asking “Why do you feel this way?” or “Can you share an example?” helps clarify their perspective and uncovers unique experiences or needs. For example, if a parent says they’re “not very aware” of resources, a quick follow up could be, “What kind of communication would help you learn more about these resources?”
When and why to add the "Other" choice? If you suspect some parents’ experiences won’t fit standard categories, always add “Other.” This invites fresh, unexpected insights – and a follow-up question like, “Can you describe?” often leads to valuable ideas you hadn’t even considered.
NPS question for parent survey about student well-being
The NPS (Net Promoter Score) question – “How likely are you to recommend our school to other families based on your child’s well-being?” – is simple but powerful. It gives a fast benchmark for parent satisfaction, and when combined with a follow-up asking “What is the main reason for your score?” it provides both quantifiable data and detailed reasoning. With so many parents supporting strong school mental health services (90% nationwide)[4], tracking this score over time helps measure improvement and spot emerging needs.
Try building an NPS-style parent well-being survey with one click.
The power of follow-up questions
Automated follow-up questions are a game changer. We’ve written about how AI-powered followups work at Specific and why they’re key to richer insights. Instead of leaving you with half-finished thoughts, our system probes for context, gently clarifies fuzzy answers, and asks for real-world examples in real time. That’s something basic survey forms simply can’t do.
Specific’s conversational surveys use AI to ask smart, context-aware follow-ups, so you see the full story right away without messy email back-and-forths. And because it happens instantly, it feels like a real conversation rather than an interrogation. Here’s a simple example:
Parent: I’m not sure what resources the school has for mental health.
AI follow-up: What kind of information or support would help you feel more confident about the school’s mental health resources?
How many followups to ask? In practice, two or three targeted follow-up questions are almost always enough. Too many can make it feel overwhelming, so we enable settings to stop after you get the insight you want – or respondents can skip ahead. Specific makes all of this seamless in your survey setup.
This makes it a conversational survey—people open up more, the dialog feels natural, and even long-form feedback feels light.
AI survey response analysis, qualitative data, in-depth insights—With so much open-ended input, don’t worry about sifting through mountains of text. Smart AI handles all the heavy lifting: see how to analyze survey responses with AI in a blink.
Curious? Try generating a survey and experience true follow-up intelligence first-hand.
How to compose prompts for GPT to generate the best questions
If you prefer brainstorming ideas with AI models like ChatGPT, prompts matter. Try this straightforward instruction first:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Parent survey about Student Well-Being.
Want sharper results? Give more context about who you are, your specific concerns, and your goal for the survey. For example:
I’m a school administrator aiming to better understand parent concerns regarding student mental health and well-being. Please suggest 10 open-ended questions for a parent survey, focusing on emotional health, support, communication, and school experiences.
Once you have a list of questions, organize them for clarity:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
Last, pick the most relevant categories and ask:
Generate 10 questions for categories “Emotional Well-being” and “School Support Systems.”
This iterative approach helps you zero in on what matters most to your school community, leading to higher quality feedback.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey is interactive, feels like a real chat, and adapts each question to the answers it receives. Instead of simply ticking boxes, parents engage naturally, which often encourages greater honesty and detail. The difference between manual survey creation and AI-driven survey generation is dramatic—not only in speed, but in the clarity and depth of the results you get.
Manual Surveys | AI-Generated Surveys (Conversational) |
|---|---|
Time-consuming to build by hand | Instant survey creation via AI |
Static and rigid forms | Adaptive follow-up questions, feels like a chat |
Difficult to analyze open-ended answers at scale | AI summarizes and extracts key themes automatically |
Slow or missing follow-ups | Immediate, context-aware prompts by AI |
Easy for parents to lose interest | Conversational UI keeps parents involved |
Why use AI for parent surveys? Simple: AI survey generators like Specific unlock deeper, faster insights and create a far better experience—for both schools and families. If you want to see an AI survey example or explore the best survey questions for parents, AI is the surest shortcut to impact.
And it’s not just about time saved. Our conversational survey builder brings your parent community into a real conversation, helping everyone feel heard. See our detailed guide on how to create a parent survey about student well-being for practical tips and step-by-step walkthroughs.
Specific offers a best-in-class user experience for conversational surveys—making feedback collection engaging, human, and easy to act upon.
See this student well-being survey example now
Make your parent survey simple, conversational, and smart—collect richer insights and engage families with AI-powered questions and instant response summaries. Start your own experience and unlock deeper understanding about your students’ well-being today.