Parents’ definitions of student success play a key role in determining which schools they select for their children. A recent study by Matthew H. Lee at Kennesaw State and Angela R. Watson at Johns Hopkins finds that parents prioritize standardized test scores above all other indicators when defining student success.
The researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,191 parents of K-12 students, the majority of whom had children in traditional public schools, with smaller shares in charter, private, or homeschool settings. Parents were shown six pairs of hypothetical high school graduates and asked to select the more “successful” student in each pair. Each hypothetical graduate varied across five attributes: standardized test scores (low to high), college matriculation (not pursuing to prestigious college), civic outcomes (uninvolved to active in the community), academic skills (average to strong numeracy and literacy skills), and religiosity (not religious to highly religious).
Across the sample, standardized test performance emerged as the most influential factor in parents’ judgments of success. College matriculation and civic outcomes were also important, followed by academic skills and religiosity.
Parent preferences varied across subgroups. Older and high-income parents were more likely to prioritize high test scores and prestigious college admission, while conservative, religiously active, and homeschooling parents placed a greater emphasis on religiosity compared to other parents. Private-school parents were more likely to value civic engagement.
Lee and Watson argue that these insights matter because parents’ definitions of student success shape how they choose schools for their children. The researchers suggest that when policymakers and school leaders understand these perspectives, they can align school offerings—and how they present them—with the priorities of the parent communities they serve.