Budgets, Boards, and Marketing: A Smarter Approach to Enrollment Growth
As a Principal, Head of School, or Director of Marketing and Admissions, you’re constantly balancing multiple responsibilities—growing awareness, increasing enrollment, and managing resources, all while keeping an eye on your school’s budget. The challenge is real: How do you do it all and still drive results?
The Budget Challenge: Making Every Dollar Count
Most schools operate on tight marketing budgets but success isn’t about spending more; it’s about spending smarter. The key is developing a strategic, long-term approach that builds awareness and converts interest into enrollment.
Many schools make the mistake of launching short-term marketing efforts and expecting immediate results. However, in our experience, meaningful enrollment growth typically requires at least six months to a year of consistent advertising and engagement. If your school has little to no brand awareness, it takes both time and investment to change that—and with feeder sources for private schools diminishing, more schools actively marketing, competition is increasing.
How Much Should You Invest?
If your school has never had a dedicated marketing budget, determining the right amount can feel overwhelming. We typically see schools investing between $100,000–$200,000 annually in developing brand strategy, creating marketing materials, and placing media.
But here’s the critical piece: Your marketing investment should pay for itself.
∙ If you gain just 10 new students who stay through graduation, your investment more than covers its cost.
∙ Without marketing, you risk losing prospective families to competing schools and struggling to recover lost enrollment.
Addressing the Board: Making the Case for Marketing
For faith-based and private schools, gaining board approval for marketing budgets can be a challenge. Board members are tasked with financial stewardship, and large expenditures can feel risky. But not investing in marketing is an even greater risk—because if families don’t know about your school or don’t fully appreciate its value, they won’t enroll.
How to Present the Cost to Your Board
When making the case for marketing investment, consider these key questions:
1. What’s your enrollment growth goal?
∙ Do you have at least three times that number in your prospective student pipeline?
∙ If not, marketing can help increase inquiries and visits.
2. Will the investment generate long-term returns?
∙ If each new student brings in tuition revenue for multiple years, does that revenue exceed your marketing budget?
3. What’s the cost of doing nothing?
∙ If you don’t market your school, how will you replace the students you lose?
∙ Where will new families come from if awareness remains low?
4. Do you have the capacity to manage marketing alone?
∙ Admissions and marketing teams are stretched thin.
∙ Is it time to bring in reinforcements to help maximize impact?
Now Is the Time to Act
As you plan for your next enrollment cycle, this is the perfect moment to present a marketing budget and strategy to your board. Let’s have a conversation about how to increase your school’s awareness and appreciation, leading to stronger enrollment numbers.
Schedule a call today, and let’s build a plan that works for your school.
