I’m usually not one to push…I prefer to “strongly suggest.”  But in light of economic conditions today, this is something that will not cost you anything, and help to prepare you for what you need for next year – students.

To continue my propensity to compare marketing and enrollment in faith-based schools to the automobile buying process, 15 years ago, USA Today’s headlines told that car dealers were closing their doors at an alarming rate. Of the nearly 20,000 new car dealers across the country, 600 of them had closed their doors – 61 in one weekend – with over 2,000 more which followed.  Back in 2008, GMAC required buyers to have a credit score of at least 700 if they want to have a shot at new car financing of any kind.

As people continue to struggle to get through today’s difficult times, consider your school’s tuition picture.

Are parents paying on time?

If not, NOW is the time to do something about it – partner with a Tuition Management company like FACTS.

But where most places tend to “pull back” in difficult economic times, schools need to push forward. We need to fill our classrooms with students, since doing so spreads the tuition burden out over more people. If you have 10 students in a classroom with a teacher, there’s room for 19 more – and your cost per pupil decreases.  When that happens, you can lower your per student tuition.  Then, more families may consider your school a viable option for their children.  The more students in the school, the lower the tuition.

Yes, you CAN make it happen!

But if you’re still just “hoping” to increase your school’s enrollment, you need to act, since “hope” is not a strategy.  Use SchoolAdvancement’s Enrollment EstimatorTM to see how many students you can expect to enroll based on previous year’s grade-by-grade enrollments, and plan a target in order to increase your enrollment.  The sooner you start your enrollment efforts, the better you’ll insulate your school against potential difficulties.

Visit https://schooladvancement.com/?page_id=492 and select the Enrollment EstimatorTM that’s appropriate for your school.  They’ll be ready to go as of November 1, 2023.

When’s the best time to start? As the African proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago…the second best time is now.” It’s rooted in Scripture, too – “NOW is the acceptable time” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2008-2023 (Original Publication Date: 20081020)