Parent Satisfaction with School Quality: Evidence from One Texas District

n order to examine parents’ satisfaction with the quality of their children’s schools, a telephone survey was conducted on a stratified random sample of parents. The results indicated that the mean of the parents’ satisfaction scores was similar to the national mean for customer satisfaction. Hispanic parents indicated the greatest satisfaction, while non-Hispanic, White and African American parents indicated the least satisfaction. Low-income parents expressed greater satisfaction than did other parents, and parents of elementary school students reported greater satisfaction than did parents of secondary school students. These differences are interpreted in terms of meeting expectations, parent involvement, and school success.