Consistency between household and county measures of K-12 onsite schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: The academic, socioemotional, and health impacts of school policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been a source of many important questions that require accurate information about the extent of onsite schooling that has been occurring throughout the pandemic. This paper investigates school operational status data sources during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing self-report data collected nationally on the household level through a Facebook-based survey with data collected at district and county levels throughout the country. The percentage of households reporting in-person instruction within each county is compared to the district and county data at the state and county levels. The results show high levels of consistency between the sources at the state level and for large counties. The consistency levels across sources support the usage of the Facebook-based COVID-19 Symptom Survey as a source to answer questions about the educational experiences, factors, and impacts related to K-12 education across the nation during the pandemic.