This episode of the InspirED SparkCast discusses the 2022 Independent School Cost-Per-Enrollment Study produced jointly by the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and National Business Officers Association (NBOA) to make informed decisions around funding and support for enrollment efforts. 

[Links above lead to the study. Your school must be a member of one of the organizations to be eligible for download.]

This is the Executive Summary on the NAIS website.

Among the independent schools that participated in this research, enrollment costs were as follows:

• The median cost-per-enrollment (CPE) was $3,677

• The median cost-per-inquiry (CPI) was $697

• The median ROI was $7 in tuition for each dollar spent to enroll a new student in their first year

Enrollment costs varied significantly across school demographics. The largest schools (those with 700+ students) had the lowest CPE of all school groups—and saw the highest return on their investment ($8.60 in tuition for each dollar spent on enrollment management in the first year of tuition). Elementary schools had the smallest cost per enrollment ($2,869 per enrollee vs. the median $3,677 per enrollee.) The median CPE for secondary schools was $5,844.   The full report contains additional data on enrollment costs sorted by school type (day/boarding), size, region, and grade levels served. 

Kevin MacNeil       

Kevin is the CAO and Partner of Metric Marketing. Kevin has worked with more than a hundred independent schools across North America. Exposed to nearly a decade of admissions marketing campaigns, he prides himself on helping schools make decisions based on data. He is a practiced teacher of marketing and advertising, including work with NAIS, NYSAIS, EMA, AISAP, InspirED, ISSL, CAIS. 

Metric Marketing started as a web development/tech company in 1999, and Kevin joined them in 2008. During that time, the company began to transform into a digital advertising agency and then a full-service agency. In 2013, Metric started working with private schools, and by 2019, they were working with schools across North America. Kevin realized his and Metric’s passion was to help schools grow. 

Deb Baum is the Senior Director of Communications and Strategic Institutional Marketing at The Bryn Mawr School, an all-girls PK-12 school in Baltimore, Maryland. Deb previously worked in communications and media relations roles at Gilman School, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Brown University. Deb also has a background in journalism, having spent three years as a news writer for WBZ-TV in Boston as well as serving on the staff of 60 Minutes II and The Early Show in New York City.

Deb enters the Five Year Club in 2024 as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Jan Abernathy

Jan Abernathy is the Chief Communications Officer at The Browning School and a member of the CASE Commission on Marketing and Communications and on the faculty of the CASE Academy. She was previously the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Elisabeth Morrow School and is the president of the New York City Independent Schools Communications Professionals group as well as a co-founder of the Black Advancement Network. Jan is a trustee of Grace Church School and Tessa International School.

This is Jan’s third year as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Dr. David Willows is co-founder and strategic director at [YELLOW CAR], a training and consulting firm designed to help schools stand out. Between 2005 and 2022, he was Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. David is widely regarded as one of the most innovative practitioners in the field, helping to shape and define the future of Advancement in schools. He was recently listed as one of the world's Top 10 Global Education Influencers. An author and regular keynote speaker & trainer at international events around the world, David is passionate about helping schools advance in ways that are relevant for today’s educational landscape.

David talks with InspirED today about his experience as a Brilliance Awards judge.

Colin Anson is the CEO and co-founder of Pixevety, a child image protection and photo storage solution that helps schools and parents manage and share photos and videos of children with state-of-the-art, real-time consent technology. With over 11 years of experience in the online media industry, Colin is a digital entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for children's digital privacy and safety. Colin's vision is to protect the digital identity of children and to reduce privacy and data breach risks for schools and parents. Colin has a proven track record of leading and growing innovative digital businesses, with skills in digital strategy and execution, business development, e-commerce, advertising, management, and marketing.

H. Watson Jordan Ed D.

Watson is an author, a lifelong educator, and a certified WHY.os trainer. His company, The Resilience Initiative, promotes resilience around the world. Watson works with teams using the WHY Operating System to drive superior insight, understanding, and production. This algorithm guides the identification of individual and group zones of genius and explains how to leverage them. 

As an author, his book Mine, Ours, and Yours: A Father's Journey through the Life and Death of a Child, explores tragic despair and unearths hopeful resilience. His second book, Resilience: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Made Us Wiser and Stronger, is a collection of essays from global leaders who provide thoughtful and powerful insight into how adverse conditions do indeed drive us to become wiser and stronger. 

As a lifelong educator, Watson has developed and led programs in team-building, technology, and wellness. He engages with organizations of all types and especially values working with schools and nonprofits. 

Watson’s podcast, #Resilience, explores how knowing your WHY fortifies your resilience. 

Carrie Grimes is the Director of the M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Carrie is a Professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, and teaches across master's and doctoral programs at Peabody College. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Carrie facilitates workshops and learning sessions for independent schools and associations on topics such as leadership, storytelling, strategic fundraising, and organizational flourishing.

Carrie has over 20 years of professional experience in independent school leadership in New York, California, and Maryland. Carrie's scholarly interests include emotionally intelligent leadership, program design, institutional advancement, and social identity and community building within school settings.

Mike Connor

Mike is President of Connor Associates and co-author of the NAIS book, Marketing Independent Schools in the 21st Century.  His latest e-Book, Pulling in the Same Direction, emphasizes everyone’s role in recruitment, retention, and fundraising.

Earlier in his 30+ year career Mike worked in nearly every position at independent K-12 schools. Today, Connor Associates has 16 Associates and Partners and has served clients in 28 states and on four continents.

Connor Associates stakes its value on its experience with providing comprehensive marketing and financial services, including ensuring proof of ROI through confidential Image Audits and Surveys, Enrollment Feasibility Studies to identify and map mission-appropriate families, Five-year Enrollment Forecasts, Business Office Evaluations and Plans, Strategic Marketing Plans, and Institutional Strategic Plans. 

Connor Associates’ newest offering, Executive Searches, uses a unique approach that finds, trains, and provides coaching and support for members of your leadership team.

Thom Greenlaw

After serving not for profit organizations for over 40 years Thom Greenlaw founded Creative Independents (CI) in 2012. CI serves not-for-profit schools, colleges and other education focused institutions finding creative solutions to strategic issues facing these organizations. Thom joined Connor Associates as a Senior Strategic Partner for Finance, Operations, and Executive Searches in 2018. In addition to coordinating Leadership Searches, he specializes in Compensation Analysis, Tuition Elasticity, and Financial Sustainability Studies. 

For over 20 years Thom served in varying senior operational and finance roles in independent schools including thirteen years as Assistant Head for Operation / CFO at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA. Prior to his employment at BB&N, Thom served as Business Manager at the Dana Hall School. A former Board member for NBOA and AISAP, he also served on the Board of Summit Montessori School and was a volunteer mentor, specializing in not for profits for SCORE. He was President of The Independent Schools Compensation Corporation, a self-insurance group for over 170 independent schools, colleges and cultural organizations from 2012 to 2022. 

Chris Pryor is president and founder of The Gowan Group.

As a lifelong educator, strategist, and thought leader, Chris is in his third decade of independent school leadership. He has held leadership positions at independent schools such as Harbor Country Day, The Independence School, Hackley, Rye Country Day, and Tuxedo Park School and was actively involved with NYSAIS.

Chris is a well-known speaker on topics such as social media, marketing, admissions training, crisis management, professional development, and board training.

With The Gowan Group, Chris realizes his vision for an educational consulting organization that serves the needs of independent schools on every front–from Admission and Enrollment Management to Advancement and Fundraising, and from Strategic Planning to Leadership Development. Gowan Placement’s exceptional team advises and guides families through a comprehensive and personalized approach to school placement. To accomplish this, Chris assembled a stellar group of nationally renowned consultants who have the passion, experience, expertise, and resources to help independent schools turn every challenge into a growth opportunity.

Chris Pryor is the Founder and Principal of LeadTeam Partners. Following a 20+ year career in independent schools, Chris developed his school partner search practice to support school administrators by finding the right consultant, coach, facilitator, speaker, or vendor for their needs.

Prior to LeadTeam Partners, Chris served as Assistant Head of School for Advancement and External Affairs for Congressional School (VA) and as a Director of Business Development for Independent School Management (ISM). 

Informed by how private schools and consulting firms operate, Chris seeks to manage the search process for busy school leaders so that they can focus on the day-to-day operations of their school. 

Dr. David Willows is Co-founder and Strategic Director at [YELLOW CAR], the world's leading experience strategy training and consultancy firm for schools. Between 2005 and 2022, he was Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. During this time, he grew to be widely regarded as one of the most innovative practitioners in the field, helping to shape and define the future of Advancement (admissions, marketing & communications, fundraising & alumni relations) in schools. He was recently listed as one of the world’s Top 10 Global Educational Influencers. An author and regular keynote speaker and trainer at international events around the world, David is passionate about helping schools advance in ways that are relevant to today’s educational landscape.

Suzette Parlevliet is Co-founder and Experience Director at [YELLOW CAR]. With a background in hospitality management, she worked at the International School of Brussels for nearly a decade, where she oversaw the school’s brand development, communication strategy, web design, content production and, ultimately, the school's family experience. Today, Suzette brings expert insight and supports school leaders to design and implement experience strategies in ways that demonstrate impact across the organization.