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Why Every School Needs a New Parent Survey

When new families enroll in your school, they bring with them a fresh perspective. They’ve just completed their admissions journey, evaluated other schools, and chosen yours. That moment of decision and the first weeks of school represent a golden opportunity to learn what motivated them, how they found you, and how well your onboarding experience is working.

That’s why conducting a New Parent Survey each year is essential for any school serious about enrollment growth and retention.

What You Learn From a New Parent Survey

A well-designed survey provides data that helps you answer critical questions:

  • Why did families choose your school? Was it your environment, location, academic programs, athletics, safety, financial aid, or a combination of reasons?
  • What competitors did they consider? Knowing which schools you are up against helps you refine your competitive positioning.
  • How are families discovering your school? From word-of-mouth to social media to even emerging channels like AI search, the data helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing.
  • How satisfied are families with your admissions process? Tours, open houses, applications, interviews, and financial aid—all of these touchpoints shape the parent experience.
  • How smooth has the transition been? Questions about summer communications, the first week of school, and the sense of being welcomed into the community reveal the strength of your onboarding program.

Most importantly, the survey surfaces both strengths to celebrate and areas needing improvement before they become larger retention concerns.

Why It Matters

Too often, admissions and marketing directors make assumptions about why families choose their school or how effective their process really is. But assumptions can be dangerous. If you’re not asking, you’re guessing, and guessing leads to missed opportunities.

Here’s why the New Parent Survey matters so much:

  1. It validates your strategy. When you know exactly what drew families to your school, you can double down on what’s working and ensure your marketing tells that story clearly.
  2. It identifies blind spots. Perhaps families found the admissions process confusing or felt overwhelmed by summer communication. You may not hear these frustrations directly unless you create space to ask.
  3. It strengthens retention early. Parents who feel heard and valued at the start of their journey are more likely to remain loyal, stay engaged, and continue through graduation.
  4. It informs word-of-mouth marketing. When you know what families appreciate most, you can equip them to share those same talking points with friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
  5. It gives you a competitive edge. By understanding what other schools families considered, you gain insight into your market position and what makes you unique.
  6. It helps you serve families better. Ultimately, the survey isn’t about data for data’s sake; it’s about building stronger relationships with the families you’ve just welcomed.

The most successful schools are the ones that are listening intentionally and then acting on what they learn.

Partner With Enrollment Catalyst

The New Parent Survey is one of five surveys I recommend as part of my School Survey Solutions program. For just $850, I will partner with you to conduct your New Parent Survey, analyze the results, and provide actionable insights you can use right away.

If you want to strengthen your admissions strategy and retention efforts, this is one of the smartest investments you can make at the start of each school year.

👉 Learn more about my full School Survey Solutions program here: Research Surveys

You can also contact me directly at Rick.Newberry@EnrollmentCatalyst.com. 

Reflection for you: What insights are you currently missing about your new families—and how could those insights transform your enrollment strategy this year?

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