Summer Strategies to Enroll More Students

Enrolling students over the summer is critical for many schools, but this is also when the campus is usually at its worst. The energy and people have departed, the classrooms are disheveled, and major facilities projects are underway. How can enrollment tours, communications, and activities be planned to achieve the best results?

In the upcoming Maximize Summer Enrollment webinar and through resources that can be downloaded by School Growth service subscribers, we have a wealth of strategies you can use to overcome the challenges of reaching your enrollment goals before the start of the new year.

Think of enrollment as the temperature of the school, measuring the quality of the educational experience, the leadership's capacity to create consistent value, and the ability to communicate it effectively to the target market of students.

Board and faculty perceptions about the complexities of enrollment management are too simplistic. So many factors can impact the ability to grow or sustain a strong student population:

• Poor organizational health producing lack of trust in the leadership
• Waning respect for the teachers and/or academic quality
• Weak relationships and engagement with peers and students
• Conflict in expectations vs. the actual experience
• Changes in the economy (e.g., employment, housing, etc.)
• Confusion in the identity and/or brand of the school
• Inconsistent and poor quality communications (internally and externally) that undermine engagement

Make an extra effort this summer to encourage and support those responsible for attaining the enrollment goals on your campus. It can get a bit lonely when most people have gone different directions, the temperature is rising, and the budget deadline approaches quickly. Find ways to help with answering the phones, making tours meaningful, following up with inquiries/applicants, and gathering the necessary data. It takes a team to grow! Learn More