SchoolMint

For the longest time, enrolling in K-12 schools was a straightforward affair—students typically attended their local public schools based on age and neighborhood, with fewer than 10 percent of families opting for private schools. Schools didn’t need to market themselves; geographic boundaries dictated enrollment. Today, that landscape has shifted dramatically. Over 50 percent of parents now view school selection as an active choice, and nearly 30 percent of students attend schools outside their designated neighborhoods. As a result, schools must actively engage parents, share their unique stories, and demonstrate their value. At the same time, they must recruit and retain qualified staff to provide the high-quality learning environments parents expect.

That’s where SchoolMint steps in. As the first company to introduce an award-winning, all-in-one K-12 enrollment system, it empowers schools by helping them market themselves, attract, enroll, and retain both students and staff. The company’s comprehensive solutions—from marketing tools for enrollment and recruitment to coaching and retention platforms—make the enrollment process simpler, smarter, and more accessible for everyone.

On the staffing front, SchoolMint helps districts modernize their recruitment process to attract top talent. Last year, it launched a teacher and staff recruiting platform, which has been incredibly successful. For example, one client tasked the company with finding 100 teaching candidates. By the end of the first year, SchoolMint delivered over 900 candidates. But hiring is just the first step—the company also provides coaching and professional development tools to ensure new staff, including those from alternative certification programs, are well-supported and prepared for success.

This commitment to equipping schools extends across its entire customer base. SchoolMint serves the U.S. market, catering to pre-K through 12th-grade schools, including traditional public schools, public school districts, public charter schools, and charter management organizations. Additionally, it supports pre-K programs and private schools.

Reversing the Trend

“As parents make more conscious choices and shop for schools, our strategic enrollment management approach helps schools become the choice that parents ultimately select,” says Bryan MacDonald, CEO of SchoolMint.

The first step in this modern enrollment journey is helping schools assess their position in the competitive landscape. SchoolMint guides schools in understanding how parents perceive them, what their offerings are, and how they compare to other options in the area. By identifying areas of opportunity, the company helps schools evaluate their market position and develop strategies for improvement. This step is all about planning and understanding.

One standout tool SchoolMint uses is its ‘secret shopper’ program, which simulates a parent's experience when attempting to enroll a student. The company evaluates every touchpoint—from website clarity to the timeliness and professionalism of responses to inquiries. Was the information easy to find? Did someone respond promptly? This detailed audit creates a blueprint for schools to excel in enrollment.

Once SchoolMint has a clear understanding of a school’s position, it shifts focus to helping schools tell their story. Today’s parents predominantly turn to online platforms—Google, Facebook, Instagram—to find school information. Using its extensive expertise in enrollment marketing, SchoolMint designs marketing materials tailored to each school’s distinct identity. These include photos, video testimonials, and personalized content to showcase what makes each school special. By leveraging its purpose-built education marketing services, SchoolMint helps schools define their identity, craft their message, and deliver it effectively on the platforms where parents are searching. These campaigns are often multilingual to reach diverse audiences. The goal is to ensure schools connect with parents where they are actively seeking information.

When parents express interest, SchoolMint directs them to a customized enrollment microsite integrated with its advanced enrollment software. This microsite provides detailed information about the school and streamlines the enrollment process. Parents can submit applications, upload documents, and complete the enrollment process entirely online—using a smartphone or computer. Schools, on the other hand, can easily manage waitlists, lotteries, and application criteria, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

“Our analytics platform provides ongoing insights, allowing schools to track their success, identify what’s working, and make data-driven adjustments to improve their recruitment efforts. This also helps them plan for the following year’s enrollment cycle, ensuring continued success,” says MacDonald.

Ultimately, the goal is to remove friction from the process so parents feel supported, and schools can focus on what matters most—educating students.

Support Beyond Enrollment

Enrollment is just the beginning. Once students are in the classroom, SchoolMint’s tools for staff coaching and positive behavior reinforcement come into play. Its flagship classroom management solution, SchoolMint Hero, gamifies classroom behavior in a simple yet powerful way. Rather than focusing on negative behavior, SchoolMint Hero rewards students for positive actions. Teachers can assign points for completing homework, participating in class, or even arriving on time.

These points add up to unlock rewards like extra recess, pizza parties, or incentives at home, such as movie nights or gaming privileges. By focusing on positivity, SchoolMint Hero transforms classroom culture into one of encouragement and motivation.

“From creating awareness to nurturing interest, guiding parents through the enrollment process, and fostering a positive school environment, we excel at everything we do,” says MacDonald.

From Decline to Growth: A Success Story

One client success story stands out—a large, urban district in the Midwest battling a 10-year enrollment decline. Year after year, their numbers fell. Desperate for a solution, they turned to SchoolMint.

SchoolMint began by conducting a detailed marketing audit, identifying areas with the most potential for recruitment success. Armed with this insight, SchoolMint worked with the district to launch a targeted student recruitment campaign. The results were remarkable. The district not only halted its enrollment decline but also added more than 400 new students within a year.

This growth had a significant financial impact. Since school budgets are tied to enrollment, the district’s funding increased by $3.5 million. This newfound budget allowed them to invest in critical resources such as teachers, buses, textbooks, and technology, driving further improvements.

For this district, gaining 400 students after years of losses was transformative. It demonstrated that the students were still out there—they were simply choosing alternatives. SchoolMint’s program empowered the district to reclaim its voice and presence, making it a competitive choice for families once again.

This is just one example of how SchoolMint helps districts overcome challenges and unlock their enrollment potential.

The Road Ahead

Over the next year and a half, SchoolMint is focusing on two priorities. First, it is expanding its marketing capabilities for public schools to raise awareness about how effective marketing can significantly boost enrollment. Most public schools have yet to fully explore this potential.

By using SchoolMint Insights to shape programs and refine messaging, we help schools connect with their communities more effectively and drive enrollment growth

Second, SchoolMint is advancing its data analytics and AI tools in its predictive enrollment analytics software, SchoolMint Insights, to deliver even more impactful solutions. These tools enable the company to pinpoint what parents in specific neighborhoods want from schools. For example, if a school heavily promotes STEM programs but parents in the area prioritize dual-language immersion, families may look elsewhere. Conversely, a school with exceptional extracurricular programs, such as soccer or drama, may fail to highlight these strengths in its messaging. SchoolMint’s data-driven approach identifies these opportunities, helping schools refine their programs and messaging to align with community needs.

“By using SchoolMint Insights to shape programs and refine messaging, we help schools connect with their communities more effectively and drive enrollment growth,” says MacDonald.

SchoolMint continues its mission, to empower schools to overcome challenges, embrace innovation, and build strong, lasting connections with students, parents, and staff—ensuring a thriving educational environment for years to come.