California Healthy Kids Survey

The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) is an anonymous, confidential survey of school climate and safety, student wellness, and youth resiliency. It is administered to students at grades five, seven, nine, and eleven. It enables schools and communities to collect and analyze data regarding local youth health risks and behaviors, school connectedness, school climate, protective factors, and school violence. The CHKS is part of a comprehensive data-driven decision-making process on improving school climate and student learning environment for overall school improvements.

The CHKS is a companion tool to the California School Staff  Survey (CSSS) for staff and the California School Parent Survey (CSPS) for parents. Together, they form the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey (Cal-SCHLS) System.

At the heart of the CHKS is a research-based core module that provides valid indicators to promote student engagement and achievement, safety, positive development, health, and overall well being. In addition, there are supplementary modules to choose from at the secondary school level that ask detailed questions on specific topics. These include more in-depth questions on  school climate; resiliency and youth development; social emotional health and learning; mental health; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; safety/violence; physical health; sexual behavior; after school activities; gang awareness; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender school experiences; and military connected school. Districts can also customize their questions in a custom module targeting topics of local interest.

Who Should Administer?

The CDE encourages schools and districts serving students in 5-12 grades to administer the CHKS to provide data metrics for their Local Control and Accountability Plan and School Plan for Student Achievement.  

As a funding condition, districts receiving Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) funding are required to conduct the biennial CHKS.

Parent Consent

California Education Code sections 51513 and 51938(c) specify that parent or guardian consent be granted before students are given questionnaires or surveys asking about personal beliefs or practices that include health behavior and risks. There are two kinds of parent or guardian consent: passive and active.

• Active Consent requires that a parent or legal guardian be notified in writing and gives written permission for the student to participate in the survey. Active consent is required of the fifth grade CHKS survey.
• Passive Consent requires that a parent or legal guardian be notified in writing about the survey and is given the opportunity to review the survey. Parents need to notify the school if they do not want their child to participate in the survey. Passive consent is required for CHKS survey administered to students in grades seven through twelve.

More information about parent/guardian consents is available at CHKS Parent Consent

Survey Reports

CHKS Survey Reports
Survey reports are available in district, county, and statewide level.

Data Dashboard

Data Dashboard
Use the Data Dashboard to access the latest CHKS statewide and district-level survey results, see trends over time, and examine disparities among different student sub-groups.

Query CHKS

Query CHKS is a collaborative project between the California Department of Education (CDE), WestEd, and the KidsData.org Web site. Query CHKS allows users to generate tables, maps, graphs, and charts comparing key CHKS data among district, county, and with the state.

Technical Assistance for School Districts

The CDE contracts with WestEd to assist districts in administering the CHKS and the other two companion surveys. WestEd provides training and technical assistance to districts through three regional survey centers, a toll-free phone line at 888-841-7536, free online training, and the CHKS Web site. To get more information or to sign up for CHKS, contact your CHKS Regional Survey Center.