The Admission Funnel

As the Admission Director of a private school, you're probably amazed at the many different ways prospective families discover your school hearing positive word of mouth from a friend of a friend of a friend, coming across your school Web site during a Google search, reading about your school in a magazine or newspaper, receiving one of your direct mail pieces, watching one of your sports events or attending a school play or concert, or hearing the School Head on a local radio talk show. Regardless of how they find you, the key question you must ask is: What do I do when parents and students express an interest in our school? This book answers that question and more Not only does it answer what to do, but it provides a step-by-step process to bring prospective families into your office and eventually, if you meet their needs, matriculate their children into your school as successful, mission-appropriate students. Keeping the funnel full from top to bottom and free-flowing is the Admission Office's challenge. Your ability to skillfully guide mission-appropriate families through the admission process is essential in guaranteeing your school s future and maintaining its quality. This book helps you assess your process to ensure the effectiveness of your current practices. If your school is having trouble maintaining full enrollment, analyze your admission process using the Admission Funnel as a gauge. As you read this book and follow step-by-step through the funnel process, you're likely to find ways to fine tune your own process and strengthen the overall enrollment program at your school. The book is a based on the experience of the Consultants of Independent School Management and their consulting in private schools for more than three decades; articles published in ISM's two management advisory letters, Ideas & Perspectives and To The Point; and materials used for teaching in ISM's various workshops and seminars. Throughout this book, a fictional K-12, coed day school, Aegis Academy, is used to provide examples and samples to better explain the strategies and techniques discussed. These examples (e.g., contracts, forms, and response letters) are intentionally generic in nature so that you can easily adapt them for your school's unique character and mission. Chapters include: The Foundation of a Successful Private School Admission Process * How Do You Define Your School? * Encouraging and Handling Inquiries * The Visit * The Application Process * The Screening Process * Acceptances (and Waiting Pools) * Enrollment * Matriculation * Evaluating Your Admission Funnel Process Appendices include: The Role of the Faculty in Admission * The Online Admission Office * Strategies for Strengthening Relationships With Feeder Schools * Recruiting Students Through Your Summer Program * Admission Procedures for ADA Compliance * The Applicant Survey * The Shared Roles of Your School's Advancement Offices * Re-recruitment Keeping the Students You Want * Recommended Reading "This book is an A-to-Z encyclopedia on the steps of the admission funnel, with a wealth of detailed suggestions at each step along the way. It will be consulted frequently by readers who are new to their Admission Office roles, as well as by those veterans looking to enhance their operation and strengthen their enrollment. The chapter on all aspects of the campus visit alone is worth the price of this book." --Roger Dillow, Director of Admission, Friends Select School (Philadelphia, PA)