2026 National Research Report
The State of School Volunteerism in 2026.
We asked 10,000+ school administrators and volunteers what's actually happening inside K-12 volunteer programs — safety, screening, the staffing gap, and who should be paying for background checks.
Published by SecureVolunteer, built by Bchex — trusted by
2,000+ school districts, nonprofits, and youth-serving organizations.
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What's inside
The data on safety, screening, and the volunteer staffing gap.
Most research on school safety focuses on staff and students. This is the first national look at the volunteers who run classrooms, events, and front desks — and the systems most schools use to manage them.
- The self-pay finding — 60% of volunteers say they'd pay for their own background check.
- The staffing gap — 71% of schools don't consistently have enough volunteers.
- The unified system request — 97% want scheduling, screening, and communication in one platform.
