The results are in! Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Here are the results:
How often do you have a school assembly?
Average = 4 times per year
Every school provided at least one school assembly per year.
How many paid assembly programs did you have last year?
Average = 3
Most = 12
How many free assemblies?
Average = 1
What topics did the performers cover?
Most popular topics were Bullying, Red Ribbon Week, Test Motivation in that order.
How much was your most expensive assembly program last year?
Average = $1,200.
Most expensive was $6,000
Most answers ranged between $600-$1,500
What was your annual budget for assembly programs?
Average = $3,000
There was a wide range in answers from zero all the way up to $12,000
Who pays for your assembly performers?
School and PTO/PTA were about even. A small number of schools reported that a fundraising company provided their assembly performers.
Who finds and books your assembly programs?
Counselor, PTA/PTO, Librarian in that order.
Please list the names of some of your favorite school assembly performers:
Most mentions were for James Wand, Val Oliver and Michael Anthony Steele in that order.
Who were you not so keen on?
Most of the replies were for free performers or performers provided by a fundraising company.
What is one thing which drives you crazy?
The top three complaints were: students bored/not engaged, performers who arrive late/no-show, lack of educational content.
What ways did you use to find performers?
Top answers were: other schools/colleagues, Google, EducationalPerformers.net, performer emails/postcards.
Other Comments
Many of the respondents expressed appreciation for the performers they have brought to their schools. Some representative comments include:
“The children always look forward to an assembly program and the school is buzzing before and after the big event!”
“The best programs engage the students and are entertaining, but also have educational content or a strong character message.”
“When you work out the cost per head, most assembly programs are a good deal and less expensive than bussing kids on a field trip somewhere.”
“I’m amazed by the quality of performers we have at our schools. The best ones know how to make the teachers laugh as well as the kiddos!”