This year’s College Football Playoff reminded us of one thing- not just for sports, but for schools. Perception is powerful. And if you don’t have data to fight it, perception wins. That’s why school data is critical for winning.
Just look at the 2025 CFP field:
🏈 Indiana: 13–0, #1 Seed – and Fought Questions All the Way Indiana went undefeated. But even at 13–0, the national conversation asked: “Are they really the best team?” That’s what happens when reality outpaces your reputation.
🏈 Alabama: 10–3 – and Still In Alabama made the playoff with three losses. Why? No offense to Alabama fans because the why was hard fought. The truth is, because of Brand Equity. They have a legacy of winning, so the committee gave them the benefit of the doubt.
🏈 Notre Dame: 10–2 – and Left Out A strong record and a massive brand. But still left outside the playoff, a reminder that even strong performance can be dismissed when decision-makers rely on incomplete or subjective data.
Schools face this same scoreboard every day.
Your district or school may be fighting an old narrative – or new competition or context. Maybe you are Indiana (outperforming your reputation but still working to get the credit). Maybe you are Alabama (a history of success giving you a “halo effect” but a deep-down worry that there may be things you need to fix to compete in the future).
If you aren’t actively shaping perception and addressing reality with real-time school data, you are letting assumptions define you.
To beat perception, every school and district needs five critical school data points.
The best schools and systems have an advantage: They track the whole picture.
The “Old Standard” (Lagging Indicators) Most schools and districts only track two. They are lagging and tell you what happened yesterday, not what will happen tomorrow.
⚠️ Academic Achievement Growth and test scores are critical. They are also “after the fact” data. They tell you the result, not the cause.
⚠️ Enrollment Strength Are seats full? Is demand rising? Enrollment tells you if families are choosing you, but it doesn’t tell you why.
The “New Standard” (Leading Indicators) These are the three data points that shape enrollment, trust, and reputation—and they are the three most leaders aren’t tracking..
✅ Parent Sentiment (The #1 Predictor) Are parents satisfied? Are they recommending you? If you don’t measure this routinely, you are flying blind on community confidence.
✅ Student Belonging Do students feel safe, known, and included? Belonging is the upstream driver of attendance, behavior, and graduation.
✅ Staff Retention & Sentiment Are teachers proud to work here? Can you spot burnout before you’re getting resignations, no-shows, or burnout? A healthy school culture starts with the adults.
The Reality
When you only have school data for #1 and #2, families fill the gaps with assumptions. Small issues become big narratives. Leaders get surprised.
We work to change that for our partners.
We proudly give you #3, #4, and #5 – in service of #1 and #2 (we also give you direct enrollment support als). We get you the real-time intelligence that turns “Perception” into “Proof.”
Get a consultation from our team
Comment “DATA” below, and we’ll send you an example of the “5-Point Dashboard” template based on the work and operations of many of our high-performance partners.
