I grew up playing sports—mostly basketball and baseball—and I watched plenty of football. In all those games, a scoreboard influenced game strategy in real time.
In basketball, the key information—the score and the time—informs decision-making throughout the game. You're watching that clock, thinking, “Can we hold a five-point lead with one minute left?” Pace and strategy adjust accordingly. In football, the score, clock, and yardage system drives progress. The game is a series of short-term goals that keep players advancing toward the long-term goal. Every play is a decision, and watching a football scoreboard involves constant calculation. In baseball, fielders anticipate their next move based on the count, the number of outs, and where the ball goes. A casual fan may notice long pauses, but seasoned watchers understand how each pitch reshapes the situation.
So, what if schools had scoreboards? Not in the sense of rankings or trophies, but internal dashboards that track progress—not just at the end of the year, but in real time, showcasing indicators that influence our decision-making? What would we include on those scoreboards?
Most schools already monitor a few key metrics, such as standardized test scores, but there's much more we could track to measure progress and growth. I believe adopting a “scoreboard mindset” can help school leaders think clearly about school improvement.
From the Field to the Classroom
In my previous role as head of a small middle school for boys, I kept a mental scoreboard all the time. It was manageable with 100 students and a tight-knit team. Now that I’m assistant head for strategic growth at a PK-12 school, the complexity is greater. With 800 students and 120 faculty, we need real tools to assess our performance; we can’t just rely on gut instinct.
I have developed my own version of a school scoreboard that includes 10 metrics. Each of these can be tracked and reviewed internally to understand how a school is performing, evolving, and improving. Some metrics are straightforward, while other are more nuanced, but all are valuable. I have tried to emphasize numbers that are harder to manipulate.
Student retention: Retention is the clearest indicator of community satisfaction. Are families staying? Are students choosing to return? School leaders should analyze retention by grade level, track why students leave, and examine patterns over time. For example, schools that lose more students than expected during the transition from middle to upper school should immediately act on that information.
Standardized test progress: Testing provides a snapshot of learning, but more importantly, it shows growth over time. School leaders can compare student results year over year instead of only focusing on national averages.
Class size: Smaller classes are often part of the value proposition of independent schools. The average class size for NAIS schools is 16 students, and it’s notable if classes are even smaller.
Faculty retention: Stability among faculty members typically indicates a strong school culture and high-quality instruction. Many schools aim for a faculty retention rate of 90% or higher.
Admission funnel data: Important metrics include inquiries, applications, acceptances, and yield. A strong yield and rising inquiries suggest market confidence.
Application trends: Tracking these year over year is key. A dip in applications might signal issues with perception, competition, or outreach. Whether during prosperous or challenging times, application rates can be a leading indicator that changes a school’s game plan.
Financial indicators: Key metrics include tuition revenue, auxiliary income, fundraising, endowment draw, and expenses per student. Healthy finances are both a driver and a product of effective strategy.
College matriculation outcomes: Where students choose to go says more than where they were accepted. Ideally, tracking graduates beyond high school will show that they perform better in college as a result of the preparation they received at school.
Extracurricular participation: Tracking service hours and participation in athletics, clubs, and the arts demonstrates a strong connection to school life and is linked to student wellness and retention.
Community feedback: Conducting annual surveys with students, parents, faculty, and alumni provides vital insights. Use consistent questions each year to track trends accurately.
Making Meaning of the Metrics
There is an ongoing debate among organizational leadership practitioners about the idea that “what gets measured gets managed.” But none of these measures alone tells the full story. When considered together, however, they can help school leaders identify patterns, test hypotheses, and make necessary adjustments. It’s important to pay disciplined attention to the signals that matter, aligning strategy with mission and using data to support human-centered leadership.
Some pieces of information can be used to make short-term adjustments, for example, if admissions inquiries are down, or a school anticipates needing to generate more interest in ninth grade for the coming year. However, most of the indicators track long-term trends that require thoughtful planning: student retention, class sizes, college outcomes, etc.
If a school can collect data for more than five or 10 years, it will reveal patterns that suggest areas for improvement or sources of confidence. For example, fundraising success can be mercurial, but telescoping past trends into the future can give school leaders a relatively good idea of the progress they can realistically make when creating five- or 10-year plans.
The Wallace Foundation’s report, “The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning,” notes that effective principals and heads of school consistently focus on two key areas: instructional leadership and organizational management. Scoreboards support both. Similarly, NAIS’s Data and Analysis for School Leadership (DASL) platform encourages schools to use metrics not just for reporting, but for fostering improvement. A school’s internal scoreboard can be its own version of DASL: a living document that informs how to teach, lead, and serve.
Back to the Sidelines
At my school, we value character over accomplishment. All the major metrics—retention, admission, finances, test scores—are influenced by effective leaders who support teachers, provide conditions for high-quality instruction, and pay attention to details like staffing, resource allocation, scheduling, and school culture. The best leaders focus on these details while also keeping sight of the broader mission.
That’s where scoreboards come in. They can help schools assess their current status and set a course for the future and provide a common language for improvement and a structure for reflection. When used well––as tools for guidance and accountability rather than punitive instruments––school scoreboards can strengthen a culture of shared responsibility and continuous growth.
A scoreboard can’t replace vision or build relationships. But it can sharpen focus, clarify priorities, and help schools get better. And that’s a win worth celebrating.