Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Singlewire Software Report Reveals Gaps in K–12 School Entrance Security

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/03/25

Single Software recently released its first-ever School Entrance Security Report based on more than 500 responses from U.S. school staff members. According to a news release, the findings highlight a gap between K–12 leaders’ wishes for school safety and how safe the schools actually are, as well as the challenges facing students and staff in that goal. Only 17 percent of respondents called their schools’ entrances “completely secure”; the most commonly cited challenges included “guests not following check-in procedures (31 percent)” and “lack of staff” (30 percent).

“While schools are prioritizing safety at their entrances, challenges and gaps remain,” said Joanna Haugland, chief product officer for Visitor Aware at Singlewire Software. “As schools look for ways to further enhance entrance safety, proactive tools that help identify potential threats and prevent them from accessing buildings will play a crucial role in keeping students and staff safe from harm.”

According to the news release, key insights from the report include:

  • Fifty-nine percent of schools reported that entrances are monitored 24/7, while 32 percent said entrances are monitored during the school day.
  • Half of respondents rated their schools’ security protocols as “Good,” and another 32 percent called them “Excellent.”
  • About 89 percent of schools currently have video surveillance in place.
  • Only 1 percent of respondents said that their schools do not use an established communication system.

“School safety starts at the front door,” said Terry Swanson, Singlewire Software president and CEO. “With a secure entrance, schools have the opportunity to stop threats before they gain access to the building.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Minnesota District Starts Construction on Early Childhood Learning Center

    Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools in Sauk Rapids, Minn., recently announced that construction has begun on a new early childhood learning center and a new outdoor activities complex, according to a news release.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.