Back to School: 3 Admissions and Enrollment Trends to Watch This Year
As schools can attest to, the only constant is change. In the past two years, we’ve witnessed a great deal of turmoil in education—think school closures, brand new learning systems, enrollment fluctuations, and so much more. School communities have not only met these changes with resilience, but they’ve also completely transformed how they operate in a short amount of time.
The good news? Things are on the mend. Our K-12 Trends Report predicts an uptick in enrollment, retention, and income in the near future. Explore three key shifts we’ve seen in the admissions and enrollment landscape over the past two years.
Private and Independent School Enrollment is on the Rise
Some of the nation’s largest public school systems—New York City and Los Angeles, to name a few—are seeing a sharp decline in enrollment. Yet the number of students enrolling in private and independent schools is increasing and expected to continue.
This is an opportunity for private and independent schools to engage with families who are searching for a new school community. Start early by defining enrollment goals and strategies; initial steps may include analyzing current data, determining what channels you will use to reach new families, and deciding what valuable information you can deliver to pique their interest.
A Renewed Focus on Student Retention
While attracting mission-aligned students is a main focus for private and independent schools, retaining them is just as important.
Here are a few ideas from our schools that have positively impacted student retention:
- Parent Ambassador Program: Enlist the help of your very own school enthusiasts—parents! With their help, you can reach a broader network and build trust with new families.
- Student Retention Committee: Establish a dedicated group of staff who can plan student retention goals and strategies to reach them.
- Parent Satisfaction Survey: Send out an annual survey asking parents to rate their experience with your school.
- Faculty Workshops: Keep staff informed about how they can track student progress and meet at-risk students where they are at in their learning journey, ultimately leading to higher student retention rates.
Other ideas include boosting marketing efforts, hiring a retention coordinator, and more.
The Digital Movement
Digital is here to stay and for good reason! Schools have found major success in streamlining every step of the student lifecycle with the latest K-12 technology. Ultimately, this creates a better experience for administrators and families by simplifying time-consuming processes and paperwork.
When it comes to admission and enrollment software, here’s what schools are looking for:
- Contactless applications and contracts: Sign, seal, and deliver all online. Send out contracts and collect signatures quickly and securely.
- Online and mobile payments: Offering modern, accessible options allows families to make on-time tuition payments, as well as pay for meal plans, athletic costs, and auxiliary programs.
- Multi-channel communication with families: From social media to email campaigns, foster meaningful communication with families at every stage in the process.
- Paperless processes: Skip the lengthy process of filing and keeping track of paperwork. Instead, each student account will have all the important information in one place.
Finding the right solution can be daunting, but we’ve taken the guesswork out of it. Here are five things you should look for in an admissions and enrollment software.
The Next Step for Your School
Thinking about making the switch to a digital admissions and enrollment solution? From the initial inquiry to decision time (and beyond), we have the tools to support your school community. Our cloud-based software allows you to spend less time on manual operations and more time on building relationships with students and families.
Book a demo with our team today. We’ll show you the ins and outs of our system and recommend helpful capabilities based on your needs.
