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Focus + Communicate

Three years ago the leadership of Mount Pisgah Christian School in John’s Creek, GA, decided to focus on growing the upper school enrollment. Since the launch of the upper school program in 2000, the enrollment had grown steady until it hit a bump in the road in 2006. Because of this dip, the leadership took notice […]

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Red and Yellow Make Orange

Five years ago Orangewood Christian School, located in Maitland, FL, was struggling with its brand identity and enrollment. In 2004 the total enrollment at the school was 540 students. At that time, the board hired a new head of school, LuAnne Schendel. She brought a focus on improving the academic quality and she devoted her time […]

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OUTstanding Story of Success

Founded in 1924 on the sands of Siesta Key, The Out-of-Door Academy (www.oda.edu) is one of the oldest independent day schools in Florida. I recently had a conversation with Dennis Chapman, director of advancement, about their enrollment success. Their success can be attributed to the following:

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School Growth During the Recession

Earlier this week I co-led a workshop at the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Conference with Rebecca Williams, Director of Marketing at Mount Pisgah Christian School in John’s Creek, GA. We examined three case studies of schools that experienced growth during the recession.

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The “One Family at a Time” Retention Strategy

Retention is an issue at most schools. With the mark of a great school being at a 90% retention rate or higher, it is important to consider strategies that will make a difference at your school. A practical and simple approach is to focus on one family at a time. I call this the “One Family at a Time” strategy. […]

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Why didn’t they know?

In the past few months I have conducted focus groups with parents and faculty at several schools across the country. I asked all of them this question, “Do you know what the marketing and enrollment plan is for the school?” Consistently, the parents, faculty and staff shared that they were not aware of the school’s […]

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Little Things Make a Huge Difference

In a recent school visit I heard a story from a mother in a focus group that made a huge difference in her school search. She said that her family was looking for a new school in the area as they prepared to move from another state due to a military relocation. During the visit, […]

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A Simple and Effective Strategy

  • rick.newberry@enrollmentcatalyst.com
  • Admissions,Blog

Last week I was at a school conducting an assessment of their marketing and enrollment effort. While there were several memorable things that the admissions director did that worked well in her recruitment effort of new families, one strategy stood out to me. As a prospective parent and child walks up to the administration building, […]

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Is Your Retention EPI 90% or Higher?

  • rick.newberry@enrollmentcatalyst.com
  • Blog,Retention

One of the most important EPI’s (Enrollment Performance Indicators) that I look for in a school is its retention rate. Ironically, several administrators I have worked with recently don’t know their school’s retention rate. This is interesting to me since retention is an indication of the overall satisfaction and health of a school. It is the measurement […]

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The Strategy that’s Becoming Irrelevant

One of the most common issues I hear discussed among school administrators today is becoming irrelevant: “How can I get my metro area newspaper to print more articles about our school?” With newspaper circulations in decline and the editor’s attention on independent and faith-based schools next to the bottom of the pile, it is important to ask yourself […]

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