Private-independent schools, always aware of the need to perpetually market their programs, often wonder what draws families to private education. What are the latest trends? How can we enhance our efforts to recruit mission-appropriate students?
More Than Scores: An Analysis of Why and How Parents Choose Private Schools was recently published by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. This report discusses the results of a survey administered to Georgia parents of K–12 private school scholarship recipients concerning why and how parents select a private school for their children.
The top five reasons parents in Georgia chose a private school for their children are all related to school climate and classroom management. These elements include:
- “better student discipline” (50.9%),
- “better learning environment” (50.8%),
- “smaller class sizes” (48.9%),
- “improved student safety” (46.8%), and
- “more individual attention for my child” (39.3%).
Surveyed parents were overwhelmingly satisfied with their private school choice, with 98.6% being “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their decision.
For more of the results of the survey, you can find a PDF of the full report for download in the Research area of the ISM website.
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 11 No. 2 How to Get People Talking About Your School
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 10 No. 1 Communicating Through Social Media
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 34 No. 3 The Link Between Internal Marketing and Demand in Excess of Supply
I&P Vol. 35 No. 4 Family Satisfaction and Retention in the Current Economic Climate: 2010
I&P Vol. 30 No. 3 Focus on Your School’s Unique Family Demographics
