New Data Shows How K-12 Schools Use Critical Communication Systems

A new analysis of K-12 communication activity offers a look at how schools used critical communication systems during the 2025-26 school year.

Singlewire Software analyzed more than 19.5 million notifications from more than 1,700 K-12 organizations representing approximately 16,000 schools. The data covers messages sent through the company's InformaCast platform between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

The report distinguishes between notifications sent and device activations, or the individual endpoints that received those messages. Singlewire also notes that its figures represent messages, not individual incidents. One incident may generate multiple messages, meaning the data reflects communication volume rather than the number of times a particular type of emergency occurred.

About the Data

The InformaCast platform does not have native fields distinguishing operational from emergency notifications. Those classifications were made through message-level review. Emergency types and whether activity represented a drill or real-world event were determined using keyword matching of message subjects and bodies.

Most School Communications Were Operational

The vast majority of messages sent through the systems were part of everyday school operations.

Of the more than 19.5 million notifications analyzed, 92% were classified as operational and 8% as emergency notifications. Automated bell schedules accounted for 60% of all communications, while live paging accounted for another 28%.

The messages collectively resulted in more than 343 million device activations across endpoints including desk phones, computers, mobile phones, digital signage, IP speakers, and overhead paging systems.

NCSSD members have also discussed how communication and alerting systems are being used for everyday situations, not just major emergencies.

At Limestone Community High School in Illinois, for example, staff use wearable alert badges to request assistance with medical emergencies, behavioral incidents, and other situations that require additional support. Superintendent William “Bill” Brown told School Security Leadership that those day-to-day uses are much more common than schoolwide emergency activations.

Emergency Communications: Real Events vs. Drills

Singlewire also compared communications associated with real-world activity with those sent during drills and tests.

Lockdowns generated the highest message volume in both categories. The report found:

• Lockdown: Approximately 42,200 real-world messages and 6,000 drill messages
• Weather: Approximately 24,100 real-world messages and 1,200 drill messages
• Evacuation: Approximately 4,400 real-world messages and 5,600 drill messages
• Secure: Approximately 4,300 real-world messages and 900 drill messages
• Hold: Approximately 4,300 real-world messages and 700 drill messages

The report also examined communications corresponding with the five actions included in the I Love U Guys' Standard Response Protocol: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter.

Among real-world communications tied to those five actions, Lockdown accounted for 72.4%, followed by Evacuate and Shelter at 7.5% each, Hold at 7.4%, and Secure at 5.2%.

The distribution looked different among drills and tests. Lockdown accounted for 40.9% of messages and Evacuate for 37.7%, followed by Secure at 10.9%, Shelter at 6%, and Hold at 4.5%.

Emergency Communications Peak During School Hours

The data also identified patterns in when emergency communications were sent.

Eighty percent occurred between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the highest volume occurring between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. More than 160,000 emergency notifications were sent during that one-hour period over the course of the school year.

Emergency communication volume also varied by day of the week. Wednesday and Thursday each had approximately 23% more emergency communication activity than Monday, which had the lowest weekday volume. September and October also saw increased communication activity compared with other points in the school year.

Communication Channels Used by Schools

The analysis also shows that schools are using several different channels to distribute communications. The percentage of schools using each channel included:

• On-premises devices: 85.9%
• Email: 76.7%
• Mobile app push notifications: 56.5%
• SMS text messaging: 53.1%
• Phone calls: 25.2%

Other channels included integrations, Microsoft Teams, and Webex Chat.

The use of multiple communication channels also reflects discussions within the NCSSD community about how districts are connecting different systems. In one discussion, an NCSSD member described how Singlewire was used to connect the district's Valcom public address system with its CENTEGIX CrisisAlert system. When the alert system is activated, it can trigger audible announcements that are color-coded to align with the district's security protocols.

The district uses a mix of IP and non-IP speakers, with a gateway installed to connect the systems.

After-Hours Emergency Communications

K-12 organizations sent approximately 52,000 emergency communications on Saturdays and Sundays during the 2025-26 school year, compared with approximately 1.45 million during weekdays.

The data also showed increased emergency communication activity overnight. Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., schools sent approximately 15,000 emergency messages per hour. That compared with fewer than 10,000 messages per hour during most other non-school hours.

Communication Volume by District Size

Singlewire also examined communication volume based on district enrollment. Districts with fewer than 1,000 students sent a median of approximately 6.5 notifications per student over the course of the year, compared with approximately two notifications per student among districts with 1,000 or more students.

The difference was smaller when communication was measured by school rather than enrollment. Small districts sent a median of approximately 1,200 messages per school, compared with approximately 1,000 in larger districts.