Nicollet Public School (NPS) is a single-campus rural EC–12 district in south central Minnesota, serving approximately 300 students. Over a five-year period, the district experienced a 10% decline in enrollment. Projections for the showed an additional 7% decrease, including a 30% projected drop in kindergarten enrollment.
Nicollet faced several factors impacting enrollment, including declining birth rates, stagnant housing growth, and increased school choice options, including a large public school system within 20 minutes of Nicollet. Reversing the enrollment decline was critical to the district’s financial stability and long-term sustainability. We partnered with Nicollet to develop a strategic enrollment campaign on a limited budget.
This campaign was recognized with a Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).
We analyzed enrollment trends, demographic data and census information.
We met with influential staff and conducted a curb-to-classroom audit. We also audited Nicollet’s website and social media presence.
We developed a six-month communications plan focused on promoting Nicollet’s strengths and increasing enrollment.
We identified campaign objectives, key messages and clear calls to action.
This campaign focused on improving Nicollet’s web presence and the overall enrollment process, as well as the visitor experience. We utilized low-cost, high-impact visuals and created Canva templates for Nicollet to use in the future.
In just 6 months, 26 new students enrolled at NPS, more than doubling our goal of 10 students. This generated $283K in year one; about 5% of the district’s annual budget.
The Nicollet enrollment campaign focused on both communications tactics and improvements to the overall experience prospective families have when interacting with the district. In a small rural community where word-of-mouth plays a major role in enrollment decisions, every interaction with families shapes the district’s reputation.
The campaign included a range of cost-effective marketing assets designed for long-term sustainability, including:
Our team visited NPS to capture a library of professional photos demonstrating our key messages to be used on the website and other marketing materials.
Nicollet did not have the budget for a traditional brand anthem video, so our team produced a cost-effective promotional video utilizing the still images paired with strong voiceovers and typography.
The campaign prioritized improving the enrollment experience from first phone call, to school tour, and ultimately, to enrolling their child. We worked with staff to strengthen customer service practices, prepare staff for tours, and ensure that prospective families encountered a welcoming and consistent message throughout the building. These improvements resulted in nearly a 100% conversion rate among families who toured the school.
We made several improvements to the district website to better serve prospective families, positioning the it as the most important marketing asset. We also created a simple interest form for families who would like to schedule a tour. This simple, free tool helped capture contact information and conversion metrics.
School leaders identified several community organizations and events that could help share enrollment information, which informed recommendations for outreach and ongoing partnership. NPS sits at the heart of the city, within walking distance of an annual community event called Friendship Days. We encouraged district leaders to participate in the event by inviting the community into the school for student-led activities. District leadership reported a successful event that drew high engagement and positive attention from the community.
By the end of the campaign, 26 new students enrolled, which more than doubled our goal of 10 additional students. Based on the district’s per-pupil funding formula, the enrollment increase generated nearly $300,000 in additional revenue in year one and more than $1.2 million projected over five years, even after subtracting one-time and ongoing costs of the enrollment campaign. For this small rural district, this revenue represents about 5% of the annual budget.
Check out more strategic communications projects on our Case Studies page.
