Will Students Come Back? School Hesitancy and Parental Preferences for Covid-19 Safety Practices in Schools

A national survey of more than 3,100 parents across the U.S. conducted in July 2021 by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation found that even with rising Covid-19 cases from the Delta variant, 9 out of 10 parents plan to send their child to school for in-person learning this fall. This survey and shows that while parents want to send their children to in-person instruction, 1 in 3 parents do not feel informed on their school’s Covid-19 safety measures and 6 in 10 parents said they want more information about the specific safety measures in their schools. 

The survey is a follow-up to one fielded in May 2021 before the Delta variant increased cases of Covid-19 and children aged 12 and older became eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine. The May 2021 survey of more than 2,000 parents found that more than 8 in 10 parents plan to send their children back to school for in-person learning this fall. 

The survey continues The Rockefeller Foundation’s work to support members of the State & Territory Alliance for Testing (STAT), who expressed a need for concrete data on parents’ current sentiments toward in-person learning. The survey is the latest in the Foundation’s efforts to provide America’s educators and policymakers with the tools, including research and practical guidebooks, they need to reopen their schools safely and effectively. Read more about our work to reopen K-12 schools in the U.S. here.