Enrollment looks different than it did even two years ago, and the pressure to figure out what’s actually moving families from inquiry to enrolled is real. The COVID bump has leveled off, parent expectations have shifted, and the mental load of carrying your school’s enrollment goals while wearing every other hat is not getting lighter.

In this episode, I sit down with Marnie Schattgen from Fredericksburg Academy, Matt Thornton from Robert C. Parker School, and Matthew Farley from James River Day School for an honest panel conversation about what’s working right now. These are small school leaders doing this work every day, and what they share is grounded, practical, and immediately useful.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• How parent behavior in the admissions process has shifted, including the expectation of instant responses and a changing sense of partnership with schools
• What the admissions funnel actually looks like post-COVID and where the real drop-offs are happening
• Why the traditional open house model is working for some schools and completely gone for others, and what they’re doing instead
• How student-led tours and in-the-moment campus experiences are converting families more effectively than formal events
• The onboarding strategies schools are using to build connection with newly enrolled families before the first day of school
• What the financial aid conversation looks like right now, including families who need it but don’t ask and families who apply but probably shouldn’t
• How these leaders are protecting their mental load through processes, planning, and leadership support that actually helps