When Teachers Flourish, Students Multiply: The Surprising ROI of Healthy School Culture

As a Christian school leader, you are committed to providing high-quality Christian education for the students entrusted to you. And for a sustainable ministry, you need to effectively steward all your resources, including teachers and staff, in pursuit of your mission. Research from Best Christian Workplaces demonstrates that investing in a healthy workplace culture for your school results in more efficient use of teachers and staff. Cost-effectiveness allows you to serve more students for greater mission impact.

What We Found

Schools with healthier workplace cultures are able to reach more students with fewer resources.

Healthy culture isn’t a soft metric—it’s a capacity multiplier.

These findings are based on Best Christian Workplaces data from 100 Christian schools between 2020 and 2024, comparing engagement levels with the number of students each school serves per full-time employee. The analysis highlights results of the Employee Engagement Survey, a proprietary tool based on more than 20 years of research by Best Christian Workplaces.

Our findings show a clear and consistent relationship between workplace health and ministry reach in Christian schools. As employee engagement increases, schools are able to serve more students per full-time employee—regardless of school size or engagement category. This pattern holds across the full spectrum of engagement scores, reinforcing that culture is not merely a morale issue but an operational driver of capacity. In practical terms, healthier workplace cultures enable schools to extend their mission further with the same, or even fewer, resources by unlocking greater effectiveness, focus, and sustainability among teachers and staff.

• Schools with scores in the Healthy and Flourishing category (EES ≥ 4.00) serve an average of 9.13 students per employee. Those schools in the Inconsistent and Unhealthy range (EES < 4.0) serve 6.87 students per employee.
• Flourishing schools (scores 4.25–5.00) reach 45% more students than the least healthy schools (scores under 3.75).

Schools with highly engaged teachers and staff operate more efficiently, translating directly into measurable cost savings. The data indicate that healthier workplace cultures reduce financial strain by improving productivity and lowering the hidden costs of disengagement, such as turnover, burnout, and inefficiencies. Rather than requiring increased staffing to grow or sustain enrollment, schools with strong engagement can maximize the capacity of their existing teams—serving more students at a lower cost per student and strengthening long-term financial sustainability.

Certified schools (average engagement scores of 4.0 and above) spend $215,800 less in annual compensation per 100 students served compared to non-certified schools—demonstrating that healthier workplace cultures drive meaningful cost efficiency.

As teacher and staff engagement improves, schools gain greater capacity to serve students. The research shows a positive relationship between overall engagement and ministry reach (r = .24), indicating that healthier cultures consistently translate into broader impact.

The bottom line: investing in workplace health delivers a strong return. Healthy schools achieve a 33% higher ministry reach, effectively adding the equivalent of one-third more teaching capacity without increasing headcount. Leaders who prioritize and sustain a healthy workplace position their schools for measurable growth, stronger stewardship, and greater mission impact.

Why It Matters

Healthy workplace cultures do more than improve morale—they multiply mission impact. When teachers and staff feel valued, supported, and aligned with the school’s purpose, they bring greater energy, creativity, and consistency to both the classroom and the behind-the-scenes work that sustains daily operations. That engagement shows up in stronger instruction, healthier teams, and a greater ability to serve students well over time.

For Christian school leaders, this is a stewardship issue as much as a leadership one. Investing in workplace health strengthens mission capacity without requiring additional staffing or increased compensation costs. It allows schools to serve more students, steward financial resources wisely, and build resilience for the future.

Best Christian Workplaces’ research-based Employee Engagement Survey provides leaders with a proven roadmap for understanding and improving workplace culture. The evidence is clear: cultivating a healthy workplace is not a “soft” initiative but represents a strategic investment that produces tangible gains in efficiency, sustainability, and gospel impact.

Sources and Methods: Ministry Reach Outcomes by Certification (Research Brief, February 3, 2025) and Ministry Reach Outcomes by EES Rating Category (Research Brief, February 6, 2025).

Research is based on Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey, which is a statistically-validated tool for assessing workplace health. The data covers 5 years of data for 100 Christian schools. In addition to Employee Engagement Survey results, schools provided FTE (full-time equivalent employees) data and total compensation for all employees.