Case Study: Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Enrollment Management Plan (Part II)
NOTE: The ISPD November and December newsletters are being written by Dr. Mark Williams, Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and an ISPD Associate.
Building Your Enrollment Management Calendar
When I was a principal, we built our school calendar for the next year in February or early March. We would gather around the conference room table, together with a large amount of input, and build our calendar with much thought and collaboration. We sought to improve every year. Building your enrollment management calendar is no different. This process should be conducted with stakeholders at the table. At ISPD, we recommend an Enrollment Management/Admissions Executive Committee that meets regularly. An assessment of the prior year should drive planning for the following year. Once plans are finalized, a presentation to a larger group of administrators/educators/stakeholders should be followed by additional fine-tuning. Once the school year begins, only strategic adjustments should be made. Major planning should have already been completed.
Building Your Virtual Classes
How do you know who to invite to apply to enroll in your school? We have found that the most reliable, predictable way to achieve this is to build virtual grades. For example, if you are a K-8 school, you need to build virtual grades for ages 2, 3, and 4. What can you do to attract parents with children this age to visit you, attend your events, and join your database? If you are a 9-12 high school, what can you do to build virtual grades in 6, 7, and 8? Whether you are utilizing formal admissions software or spreadsheets, it is important to build a database of families you can personally invite to attend your events, apply to your school, and ultimately enroll. Building your database is a 12-month endeavor!
Enrollment Funnel – Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux
The Most Impactful Practice: The School Day Tour
Whether already in the enrollment management funnel or not, the direct invitation for a scheduled school day tour is essential. The invitation can be extended using multiple methods, including direct mail, email, social media, website links, or any other. These small group tours scheduled during the school day have been an extremely successful part of our recommended enrollment management plans. Registration percentages for families who engage the school on these types of tours are extremely high. Select a strategic time before new student registration in the late Winter or early Spring, and invite those in your virtual grades, database, feeder schools, partner schools, and the greater community to experience a school day tour. To maximize your efforts, keep the following best practices in mind:
- On the registration form, gather information so you know things that are important to the student or family. Knowing a student’s interest is essential!
- If this family is not currently on your virtual grades database, add them. Ask if they have younger siblings.
- It is important to utilize a scheduling program such as Calendly or Google Scheduler. Personalization is essential!
- The very best person must provide the tours. When I was a principal, I loved showing families around when I was available. I was able to walk the school and really show the strengths of the school. When I knew the student’s interests, I was able to personalize the tour and introduce the family to the coach or moderator of the sport or club that the student was interested in.
- Personalization is essential for success. This is a SUPERPOWER! We learned during the COVID-19 pandemic how effective these small-group tours were.
The tour should conclude in a closing room, where the very best closer on the staff personally invites the family toward the next stage of the funnel. There is little better in the world of admissions than the school day tour, and if your closing rates are less than 95%, call ISPD to help you audit and improve your statistics.
Building and Practicing Your Script
In your admissions/enrollment management meetings, discuss the script and talking points with your staff who are outwardly facing the community. Those who answer the door, the phones, or email inquiries are candidates for training. Admissions calls are gifts from heaven. The opportunity to teach more young people the beautiful teachings of the Gospels gives us the greatest chance to form disciples. We must always be prepared to welcome those who reach out to us and invite them into the next phase of the enrollment management funnel. Some suggestions that are essential when writing your phone and email scripts to answer admissions questions include:
- Thank you for calling. My name is ________, and I will assist you in answering all of your questions.
- Be able to articulate the admissions timeline, suggest online resources for reference, and, before ending the call, ask if there are other questions that can be answered.
- Consider grade level availability. If there is a waitlist, we want them on it. Do not end the call.
- Never end a call without getting student and parent names and contact information. Immediately add the family to the virtual grades database as soon as possible.
- The admissions director or someone from the school must follow up the NEXT DAY!
- If we miss the opportunity to move a call or email to the next stage of the funnel, an irreversible error has occurred. It is imperative to move inquiries to applicants!
Your Website and Its Purpose in Admissions
The website is the window into the school. It is a requirement to refresh the pictures and content on a regular basis. Add this task to your calendar. As far as admissions, there must be a button inviting visitors to “join our database”, inquire, visit our school, request a call from the school, or any invitation to move a family along the funnel. A robust admissions page is essential, complete with a digital viewbook, admissions timelines, and financial aid processes. During critical windows, school day tours can be requested. The website is a tool! Use the website as your 24 hour per day window to the school. The website works while you sleep.
Strategies to Include All Who Aspire to Possess a Catholic Education: Outreach to Those Who Have Household Income of 250% or Less of the Federal Poverty Line
Genesis 1:27 tells us that all are made in the image and likeness of Christ. Therefore, our invitation must be to everyone who aspires to possess a Catholic education. Consequently, we must have tools that provide the opportunity for those families who are not able to afford the full tuition of our school. In the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, we are partnered with Arete Scholars, a state tax credit organization who provides tax credit scholarships to those who apply and qualify. We are intentional about inviting families to apply, and we schedule days to assist families in completing the applications early in the application window, which is usually in February and March. Some families may have difficulties completing digital applications, particularly uploading digital files such as proof of residency and/or tax returns. It is advisable to schedule a day to help these families using school resources.
Finally, best of luck to all who are planning a robust admissions season in the Spring. We pray that your enrollment efforts are successful. With intentional, diligent efforts along with prayer and reflection, there is no doubt you will be successful. May the excellence and prayerfulness of Saint Thomas Aquinas be with us during our enrollment/admissions season! May God bless you with abundance.