Ever wonder if MFS students are more interested in STEM or liberal arts — or which extracurricular is the most popular? Is the MFS student body really as politically left-leaning as many students think? How comfortable do students actually feel sharing their opinions in student-led committees compared to casual conversations with friends?

By reading our narratives on Demographics, MFS Culture, School Policies, and Politics, you’ll get a snapshot of the survey’s most interesting findings. 

On December 2, WordsWorth sent a survey to the MFS Upper School student body via email to gather valuable community insights. We received a participation rate of 73.4%, or 179 total participants.

Each question was optional, and multiple submissions were disabled. The survey was conducted anonymously and did not track emails or collect names. After spending months verifying and analyzing the data, we transferred the CSV file to Datawrapper to visualize select results. Read our complete methodology at the end. 

We sincerely thank the MFS student body for their willingness to participate in our survey for this report. 

*Editor’s Note: For these questions marked with *, respondents were given the option to select more than one answer if applicable.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Editor’s Note: For this question, respondents could only select one answer. In our feedback form, some members of the community suggested that this question could be a “Select all that apply” type and separate race and ethnicity questions to capture the full range of identities. While there is no correct way to survey race and/or ethnicity, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, and we are always seeking ways to accurately represent the student body. Our question was created based on research from Gallup and the Pew Research Center in conjunction with support from Laird Ottman Jr., a US statistics and math teacher. 

Additionally, our data from the Upper School closely aligns with MFS’s reported figures from the whole student body. According to the “Fast Facts” page on the school website, 58% of the student body is non-white. Our survey reports that 59% of the Upper School is non-white. 

MFS CULTURE

 SCHOOL POLICIES

Editor’s Note: 42.8% of students who said “Yes” to taking reusable utensils and dishware without returning them also said that the DHC dishware policy enforcement is enforced well and very well.

(Graph from Google Forms)

(Graph from Google Forms)

POLITICS

METHODOLOGY

On December 2, WordsWorth sent a survey to the MFS Upper School student body via email to gather valuable community insights. The survey was conducted over a period of one week, beginning with the required advisory period on December 2. During the advisory block, WordsWorth staff members visited most advisories to ensure that the instructions were read and that students completed the survey.

WordsWorth received a participation rate of 73.4%, or 179 total participants out of 244 members of the Upper School. The survey included 28 questions categorized by Demographics, MFS Culture, School Policies, and Politics. Each question was optional, and multiple submissions were disabled.

The survey was conducted anonymously and did not track emails or collect names. 178 respondents affirmed their understanding of anonymity. To protect respondents’ anonymity and data, only select members of our survey team had access to the raw data, and none attempted to identify individual respondents. The data is not affiliated with the school, administration, or any individual member of WordsWorth.

After the survey was closed, we spent months verifying and analyzing the data. To synthesize results, we transferred the CSV file to Datawrapper to visualize select results. Selected questions were included due to their statistical significance or strong interest among the student body; the remaining questions will be (or have already been) used for WordsWorth articles.

It is important to note some limitations of our data. Beyond our efforts to create a statistically accurate survey, there may be response bias, especially on questions about noncompliance with MFS policies. Additionally, since December, individuals’ opinions or experiences may have changed in ways that are not reflected in this report.