diff --git a/app/controllers/schools_controller.rb b/app/controllers/schools_controller.rb
index 9e7c9fa1..c72c66da 100644
--- a/app/controllers/schools_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/schools_controller.rb
@@ -11,9 +11,16 @@ class SchoolsController < ApplicationController
     authenticate(district.name.downcase, "#{district.name.downcase}!")
 
     @school_categories = @school.school_categories.for_parent_category(@school, nil).valid.sort
+
     @years = @school_categories.map(&:year).map(&:to_i).sort.uniq
-    @year = (params[:year] || @years.last).to_i
+    @year = (params[:year] || @years.last || "2018").to_i
     @years.delete(@year)
+
+    missing_categories = Category.root - @school_categories.map(&:category)
+    missing_categories.each do |category|
+      @school_categories << category.school_categories.new(school: @school, year: @year)
+    end
+
     @school_categories = @school_categories.select { |sc| sc.year.to_i == @year }
   end
 
diff --git a/app/models/category.rb b/app/models/category.rb
index b4e0d9fa..5b2338f5 100644
--- a/app/models/category.rb
+++ b/app/models/category.rb
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ class Category < ApplicationRecord
   end
 
   def root_index
+    Category.root_identifiers.index(root_identifier) || 0
+  end
+
+  def self.root_identifiers
     [
       "teachers-and-the-teaching-environment",
       "school-culture",
@@ -32,7 +36,11 @@ class Category < ApplicationRecord
       "academic-learning",
       "community-and-wellbeing",
       "pilot-family-questions"
-    ].index(root_identifier) || 0
+    ]
+  end
+
+  def self.root
+    Category.where(parent_category: nil).select { |c| self.root_identifiers.index(c.slug) }
   end
 
   def custom_zones