Trends in Schools & School Districts
A Look at Trends in Schools & School District
A Timeline for Reopening: Schools
According to the COVID-19 Update Survey taken in early May, some 22.5% of respondents from school and school districts said they would be reopening their facilities in May or June.
Another 7.5% of school respondents said they were planning to reopen in July, and 17.5% were planning to reopen in August or September.
As of early May, more than half (52.5%) of school respondents were not yet sure when they would be reopening their facilities.
Programming
A majority of school respondents (97.1%) said they offer programs of some kind at their facilities, compared with 96.9% of non-school respondents. The most common program provided at school respondents' facilities was youth sports teams, found among 79.6% of school respondents' facilities. This compares with just 52.3% of non-school respondents.
"We are reducing FY21 operating budget by 3%. We do not know if we will be able to use the schools for programming this summer. If we cannot, we will not be able to hold the majority of our programs. Fields are not open for use." (School/School District)
Other programs commonly found among school respondents' facilities include: educational programs (67.2%); fitness programs (59.9%); sports tournaments and races (54%); individual sports activities like running clubs (40.1%); performing arts programs (38.7%); group exercise programs (38%); sport training like tennis lessons (38%); day camps and summer camps (36.5%); and swimming programs (35%).
Programs that saw growth from 2019 to 2020 include: fitness programs (up from 57.8%); sports tournaments and races (up from 44.4%); individual sports activities (up from 36.3%); performing arts programs (up from 37%); and group exercise (up from 34.8%).
School respondents were much less likely than others to indicate that they had plans to add more programming at their facilities over the next three years, though the number with plans increased in 2020. While 37.3% of non-school respondents had plans to add programs in 2020, just 16.8% of school respondents had such plans, up from 12.2% in 2019.
The top planned programs among school respondents include:
- Fitness programs (no change from 2019)
- Youth sports teams (up from No. 3)
- Daycare and preschool (did not appear in 2019)
- Group exercise programs (no change)
- Day camps and summer camps (up from No. 6)
- Sports tournaments and races (up from No. 7)
- Educational programs (down from No. 5)
- Swimming programs (did not appear in 2019)
- Arts and crafts programs (did not appear in 2019)
- Functional fitness (did not appear in 2019)
Programs that dropped off of the list of top planned programs from 2019 include: individual sports activities like running clubs, sport training, performing arts programs, and teen programming. RM