{"id":67038,"date":"2026-05-19T10:44:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=67038"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:44:42","slug":"foxborough-school-safety-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/foxborough-school-safety-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond School Safety: How Foxborough Public Schools Improved Safety Perceptions by 14 Points without New Security Spend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Results\u00a0at a Glance<\/h2>\n
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Between 2022-2023\u00a0and\u00a02025-2026 parent\/guardian\u00a0perceptions\u00a0of their school\u2019s safety and\u00a0security\u00a0practices\u00a0rose 14 percentage points from 70% \u2192 84%\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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Secondary student favorable\u00a0perceptions\u00a0rose 12 percentage points from\u00a068% \u2192 80%\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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Rate of improvement:\u00a0three to six times the national rate over the same period<\/b><\/p>\n

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Achieved without\u00a0expensive\u00a0new security hardware. The change was in how the district used survey\u00a0data\u00a0to communicate, explain, and build trust around the practices it already had.<\/p>\n

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Foxborough Public Schools did not add more\u00a0cameras,\u00a0or\u00a0metal detectors. Its safety practices were already in place and had been for years. What changed was how the district used\u00a0community feedback\u00a0to communicate those practices, explain them to families, and build trust around them.<\/p>\n

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Three years later, favorable\u00a0perceptions\u00a0of\u00a0School\u00a0Safety and\u00a0Security\u00a0among parents\/guardians climbed 14\u00a0percentage\u00a0points.\u00a0Among secondary students, they climbed 12. Nationally, the same measures barely moved.<\/p>\n

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This is a case study in what happens when a district treats feedback as a starting point for action, not a finish line for data collection.<\/p>\n

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A Feedback-to-Action Moment<\/h2>\n
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When Foxborough reviewed its annual climate survey results, one pattern stood out. Many respondents were selecting \u201cDon\u2019t Know\u201d on items\u00a0regarding\u00a0safety and security procedures and reporting protocols. That response told the district something specific: this was an awareness gap, not a satisfaction gap. The reporting tools\u00a0existed,\u00a0and the safety practices and protocols were in place, but the issue was that too few people knew about them.<\/p>\n

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The district acted. They raised the visibility of the anonymous bullying report on the school website, localized and increased transparency in safety protocols, and developed strategic partnerships to create community and a culture of safety.\u00a0These targeted\u00a0communication\u00a0and community\u00a0development\u00a0practices\u00a0aimed\u00a0to close the awareness gap. To ensure\u00a0these\u00a0actions\u00a0were aligned with community\u00a0needs,\u00a0they\u00a0monitored\u00a0the\u00a0result\u00a0on\u00a0the next\u00a0year\u2019s survey.<\/p>\n

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The following year\u2019s\u00a0data\u00a0reflected their work. They began seeing \u201cDon\u2019t Know\u201d responses decrease, and\u00a0agreement\u00a0responses\u00a0increase.<\/p>\n

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For example,\u00a0in 2022\u20132023, 72% of parents\/guardians felt\u00a0School Resource Officers (SRO)\u00a0were important,\u00a0but\u00a024% selected \u201cDon\u2019t Know.\u201d By 2025\u20132026, 83% said SROs were important, and only 13% selected \u201cDon\u2019t Know.\u201d This growth was made possible by listening to feedback\u00a0and making intentional efforts to communicate with the community about\u00a0the purpose of SROs as well as\u00a0have\u00a0SROs really integrate themselves into school culture.<\/p>\n

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This is what turning\u00a0data\u00a0into action looks like. No\u00a0expensive\u00a0programs. No added cost.\u00a0A district paying close attention to what the data was\u00a0actually saying\u00a0and responding with intent.<\/p>\n

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\"Foxborough_Customer<\/a><\/p>\n

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The National Picture<\/h2>\n
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Safety has been the weakest dimension of school climate for three consecutive years, according to the\u00a0Sogolytics\u2019\u00a0Annual Benchmark Report on School Climate.<\/p>\n

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Nationally, parent\/guardian favorable perceptions moved from 72% to 76% between 2022\u20132023 and 2024\u20132025.\u00a0Secondary student favorable\u00a0perceptions\u00a0moved from 65% to 67% over the same period.<\/p>\n

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Federal data tells a similar story. The 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey documented rising reports of bullying, threats, and students missing school because they felt unsafe (CDC, 2024). The most recent School Survey on Crime and Safety found persistent safety-related disruptions across public schools (Burr, Kemp, & Wang, 2024).<\/p>\n

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Most districts have responded by investing in visible security. RAND\u2019s 2025 review confirmed that hardware-focused measures\u00a0remain\u00a0widespread. Yet research shows visible security alone does not consistently improve, and can sometimes\u00a0reduce,\u00a0how safe students feel when it is not paired with trust, communication, and relational infrastructure (Byrd et al., 2025).<\/p>\n

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Research shows students and staff feel\u00a0safest\u00a0when school-based relationships are strong, practices are fair, and communication is clear (Williams et al., 2018). School-wide\u00a0positive\u00a0behavioral\u00a0interventions and\u00a0integrated mental health supports show measurable impact on safety\u00a0perceptions\u00a0as they can help develop protective factors to promote belonging and interconnectedness among the school community\u00a0(Elrod et al., 2021; CDC, 2024).<\/p>\n

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Overall, how a district communicates and responds matters\u00a0just as much, if not\u00a0more,\u00a0than what it installs.<\/p>\n

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By the Numbers: Foxborough vs. the National Benchmark<\/h2>\n
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Foxborough partners with\u00a0Sogolytics\u2019\u00a0Managed Research to\u00a0conduct\u00a0and analyze its annual climate survey. That partnership gives the district consistent year-over-year\u00a0survey data, national benchmark comparisons, and the analytical depth to surface patterns that set the\u00a0District\u2019s\u00a0strategy in motion.<\/p>\n

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Parent\/Guardian Perceptions \u2014 Safety and Behavior (% Favorable)<\/h3>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>\nFoxborough<\/th>\nNational Benchmark<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
2022\u20132023<\/td>\n70%<\/td>\n72%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025\u20132026<\/td>\n84%<\/td>\n76%*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Change<\/td>\n+14 pts<\/td>\n+4 pts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*National benchmark reflects the most recent available year (2024\u20132025).<\/i><\/p>\n

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Secondary Student Perceptions \u2014 Safety and Behavior (% Favorable)<\/h3>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>\nFoxborough<\/th>\nNational Benchmark<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
2022\u20132023<\/td>\n68%<\/td>\n65%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025\u20132026<\/td>\n80%<\/td>\n67%*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Change<\/td>\n+12 pts<\/td>\n+2 pts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*National benchmark reflects the most recent available year (2024\u20132025).<\/i><\/p>\n

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Three things stand out.<\/h3>\n