Students with school spirit do more than show support for their school. They perform better academically, are more socially and civically engaged, and are happier in general than their less-spirited peers. What’s more, the majority of principals (92%) feel that high school spirit is tied to high student achievement.

To better understand the real and perceived connections between school spirit and student achievement, Varsity Brands commissioned Harris Poll to conduct an online survey of 1,016 high school students, 315 parents of high school students and 150 high school principals across the United States. Interviews were conducted in the Spring of 2014. These groups were asked about school pride, academics, self-esteem, community involvement and more. This white paper shares some of the insights our research elicited and, in particular, looks at how school spirit is connected to the way high school students learn, lead and grow.