There is anecdotal evidence of an increase in school administrators' use of surveys of students to obtain school climate information even though it is difficult to obtain valid measurement from student self-report. To better understand the context, this research estimated the prevalence of the use of student surveys in elementary schools and reviewed the types of questions and response options currently used in applied settings. A survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of 300 public elementary school principals (34% response rate). Approximately half of the schools use surveys of students in their schools, with rates of surveying depending on the grade. A qualitative review of example surveys suggests that many typically-used questions may be problematic, given research on best methods of attitude measurement. Suggestions for practice and future research directions are provided. (Contains 4 tables.)