Today our school spotlight focuses on The Cambridge School in San Diego, California.
The Cambridge School's mission: Seek to provide a distinctly Christian education in the classical tradition which equips students to know, love, and practice that which is true, good, and beautiful and thus prepares them to live purposefully and intelligently in service of God and neighbor.
The Problem: Experiencing a One-Year Enrollment Dip
Leslie Yoder, The Cambridge School’s Director of Enrollment Management, is passionate about her school’s mission. The Cambridge School is young, and she was tasked with helping grow enrollment and cement the school's place in the community. But in her second year on the job, she noticed that the school had experienced a one-year new enrollment dip.
- 2015–2016 school year: 74 new applications
- 2016–2017 school year: 58 new applications
This 21% decrease in new applications had financial implications for the school. Leslie also saw that retention wasn’t where she hoped it would be. The numbers showed:
- 2015–2016: 90% retention
- 2016–2017: 89% retention
Student attrition has a huge impact on The Cambridge School’s culture. When students leave before graduation and new students are brought in, many are fundamentally behind in classical subjects, such as Latin. Leslie wanted some expert advice to help reverse these trends to solidify her school’s culture.
The Solution: Expert Advice and Guidance
Leslie decided to attend ISM's 2017 Advancement Academy. “It was a wonderful experience,” Leslie said. “I realized that everyone in my role kind of experiences the same things. It’s great to have that network of support.
“My mentor spent a lot of time walking me through tactics that would help me in my job. It was expert guidance that I truly value.
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“Creating my action plan was great. When you write those things down and you have some accountability, you will get results.”
When Leslie returned to her school, she implemented what she learned to help boost new enrollment. Once she felt she had a good plan in place, she turned her attention to the next task—retention.
She returned to ISM's Academy in 2019 to focus on this piece of the enrollment management puzzle. “When I attended the Academy in 2019, I saw that I have to advocate for my role. As Enrollment Management professionals, we have a very important job of both recruiting and retaining mission-appropriate students. We learned about involving faculty in recruitment and re-recruitment efforts.
“I implemented an ‘enrollment management team’ when I returned to campus,” Leslie said. “This helped everyone get involved in the important task of retaining current students, which has made a world of difference.
“Our teachers meet in teams and I attend specific meetings to talk about what’s going on in the classroom. We discuss what’s on the minds of parents, language my team can provide so teachers can speak with families about retention, and new ideas that teachers have. This has helped me create stronger relationships with our teachers and empowered them to have conversations with families about reenrollment. We’re proactive and it shows.”
The Benefits: Doubling New Enrollment and Reducing Attrition
“After my first Academy, I nearly doubled my new enrollment the next year,” Leslie shared. “We've had steady enrollment since!”
“Our retention has also significantly improved, especially after I attended the Academy the second time. Our retention in 2018-2019 was 92%, and only 3% of those families chose to leave to attend other schools in our area. That’s a 4% increase in retention!”
“I would come back every year if I could!”
