At Sparta Area Schools,
It’s A Generational Thing
The 2023-2024 enrollment campaign provided the district a year-one ROI of $4.19
The Challenge
Nationally, public school enrollment is down, and Sparta Area Schools (SAS) has not been immune to the trend. From 2019-2023, public charter school enrollment across the US has increased by 9 percent. In Michigan, private school enrollment increased by 11 percent, while public school enrollment has seen a steady decrease over the past decade.
Sparta Area Schools has suffered a slow decline of approximately 240 students in the past 10 years. By the 2022-2023 school year, Sparta lost 111 students to charter/virtual schools and 311 total through school of choice. Falling birth rates, lack of movement in housing, and housing pricing are all likely factors.
However, with a consistent brand message and a focus on marketing to school-aged children in their district, they are reversing the trend.
The Goal
To drive growth – not only with acquisition but also focusing on retention – we needed to emphasize key areas of Sparta’s culture and customer experience.
First, we needed to establish a successful brand that creates a sense of pride and community. We also needed to differentiate Sparta Area Schools from their competition – and highlight the fact that generations of families choose to stay in the district. Finally, we wanted to illustrate Sparta’s focus on expertise in teaching and learning from elementary through high school.
It was vital to dig deep into the reasons parents chose Sparta Area Schools, learn where they could improve, and how to better communicate findings with families.
The Approach
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We surveyed SAS parents to learn more about their view of the district’s culture, why they chose Sparta Area Schools, and what types of communication are preferred.
Staff members are integral in marketing as they serve as brand ambassadors both inside and outside their buildings. We wanted to learn more about employee satisfaction and engagement, commitment to the brand, and how staff contribute to the district’s reputation and future growth.
We surveyed students separately by grade level in K-5, 6-8, and high school to get a feel for what students think about their district and how much student voice is considered.
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We created a series of three direct mail pieces targeted to families that reside in the district but do not currently attend Sparta Area Schools. We mailed to 713 households within the district.
The first mailer included a strong brand message that exuded a sense of pride and community. The second mailer communicated a differentiator for Sparta Area Schools – that people don’t want to leave the community. Finally, the third mailer focused on expertise in teaching and learning. This last mailer was divided into two versions – one for households with middle and high school students highlighting a high school teacher, and younger students received one featuring an elementary teacher.
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Further establishing the brand and sense of community, Galapagos created a monthly social media campaign with timely and relevant district messaging.
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Galapagos created a series of presentation templates, award certificates, letterhead, email artwork, and more to assist Sparta Area School staff with consistent brand recognition in all areas of their communications.
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Galapagos sent a photographer to the district to capture students and staff in the classroom for attractive and relevant photography to be used in future campaign efforts.
Sparta Area Schools Marketing Collateral
Sparta Area Schools Direct Mailers
Sparta Area Schools Social Media Content
Sparta Area Schools Direct Mailer
Sparta Area Schools Brand Collateral
Sparta Area Schools Photography
The Results
With a focus on stakeholder feedback and evolving customer needs, Galapagos set out to positively differentiate Sparta Area Schools from their competition. Through direct messaging, social engagement, and brand awareness, we’ve successfully built a stronger and more engaged community within the district and have enrolled 13 new students in Sparta Area Schools.
The 2023-2024 enrollment campaign, provided the district a year-one ROI of $4.19 and enrollment for the 2023-24 was higher than projections.