School lunch surveys are a great way to find out how well your cafeteria is meeting students’ and parents’ needs. Surveys allow you to get feedback on many aspects of your cafeteria, from the quality of the food to the cleanliness of the space.
To help you develop a survey that focuses on the topics you want to learn more about, we created two free school lunch survey templates. The school lunch survey for parents focuses on their perceptions of the cafeteria, the value for the money, and their child’s experience. The student survey asks whether they eat in the cafeteria and if so, what they like and don’t like about the food and the experience overall. Keep reading for a list of steps to help you develop a survey and some great survey questions to get you started.
Table of Contents
Whether you run a middle school or high school, you need to ensure your lunch program is successful. Creating a school lunch survey is a great way to gather feedback and improve the quality of the school lunch program. Here are the steps to create a school lunch survey:
Before you start, determine the purpose of the lunch survey. It will help you focus on your questions and gather relevant feedback. Some of the common purposes of a school lunch survey include:
When you identify the specific purpose of the survey, you can create questions that will elicit the information you need to make improvements.
Your school administration can create two types of surveys—online and paper-based. Online surveys are more convenient. You can easily distribute and collect them through email or online platforms, but they might be inaccessible for students who do not have access to a computer or the internet
In contrast, paper-based surveys may be more accessible, but collecting and analyzing the data will be more time-consuming. Ultimately, the choice between an online or paper-based survey depends on your school board’s preference.
Once you figure out the purpose of the survey questions, you can start developing the questions. The questions are about the specific aspects of the school lunch program you want to gather feedback on. Below are some common questions you may consider including in your school lunch survey:
The response scale is the range of answers available to each question. To ensure the data is meaningful and useful, ensure you choose the appropriate response scale for each question. Response scales include:
It allows respondents to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a statement. The Likert scale may include options from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”
With this response scale, respondents can choose one or more options from a list of predefined answers. This makes the survey-taking process faster and more convenient.
This response scale only allows respondents to choose between "Yes" or "No." It's fast, effective and easy to analyze.
When you use a ranking scale, respondents can rank a list of items in order of preference. These surveys can increase respondent engagement by giving them a sense of control over the survey.
The open-ended response scale allows respondents to provide free-form answers to questions. Respondents provide more detailed and descriptive answers.
When you finish developing the survey, test it with a small group of students. This will help you ensure that the survey is clear and easy to understand.
To help you develop a school lunch survey that is specific to your school and the topics you want to get feedback on, here are two free templates — one for parents and one for students. Choose the questions that work for you and add others as needed.
Below is a free school lunch survey template for parents.
Instructions
This survey is anonymous; please don't include your name on the survey. This survey is voluntary; you don't have to take the survey if you don't want to. However, if you do complete the survey, please answer all the questions honestly.
Purpose
This survey aims to learn parents' opinions about the cafeteria food their children eat. With this knowledge, we can identify and improve on weak points in student lunches.
Estimated Time
15 to 30 minutes
Lunch Survey Questions
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These are all the questions for this student survey. Thank you for your participation. With your help, we can make positive changes to our school lunch program.
Below is a free sample school lunch survey template for students.
Instructions
This survey is anonymous; please don't include your name on the survey. This survey is voluntary; you don't have to take the survey if you don't want to. However, if you do complete the survey, please answer all the questions honestly.
Purpose
Complete this survey to help us gather students' opinions about the cafeteria. By completing the survey, you can help us identify and improve weak points in the student lunch program.
Estimated Time
15 to 30 minutes
What Grade Are You?
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Lunch Survey Questions
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These are all the questions for this student survey. Thank you for your participation. With your help, we can improve your cafeteria dining experience.