Enrollment & Financial Aid

CEO Notebook  

  • Communication
  • | Leadership

When Trust Needs Rebuilding, Reset the Story

What a high‑profile reset reveals about letting go of what no longer works — and why that matters for schools.
4 min read
Front of the US Treasury building
  • Accounting
  • | Legal
  • | Regulatory Updates
  • | Tuition

OFAC Sanctions Compliance and Independent Schools: New Guidance

IMG Academy was fined $1.72 million for violations of U.S. sanctions laws.
2 min read
Two speak bubbles against a black background

Feature  

  • Communication
  • | Summer Camp
  • | Technology

Byte-Size AI: Strong Prompts, Market Analysis and Role Play This item is protected.

Jonathan Schmid is using generative AI to tap into market analysis, generate Excel formulas and role play difficult interactions.
4 min read
Flipping Wooden cube block for change fake to fact

Strategies  

  • Communication
  • | Policy
  • | Risk Management

How To Stop Fake School News Before It Starts This item is protected.

A solid plan to counteract this risk draws on three key principles.
5 min read
inst statement

Risk & Compliance  

  • Communication
  • | Crisis Management
  • | Risk Management

Institutional Statements on Controversial Issues This item is protected.

When school leadership feels pressure to take a position, consider this framework.
4 min read
levers graphic grey red orange
  • Planning
  • | Professional Development
  • | Tuition

What Makes the Financial Model Work? This item is protected.

A data dive identified top levers schools can pull for financial success.
4 min read
annual giving

Feature  

  • Gift
  • | Marketing

Shifts in Donor Dollars: Institutional Giving Trends This item is protected.

Recent trends in giving may inspire school leaders to rethink traditional fundraising strategies.
12 min read
Stock image of two bandages in a cross shape.
  • Communication
  • | Risk Management

Reputation Repair: How Caring and Credibility Rebuild Broken Bonds

When reputational risks strike, how leaders communicate and connect can determine whether their schools emerge stronger or stumble.
7 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Change Management
  • | Communication
  • | Leadership

The Surprising Strengths of a Vulnerable Leader

It may seem counterintuitive, but vulnerability can be a great strength for independent school business leaders.
4 min read
Three bright arrows pointing down a dark blue background.

Voices from the Field  

  • Key Enrollment
  • | Leadership
  • | Tuition

Data, Design and the Future of Enrollment

The merger of EMA and ERB will provide school business leaders with more data and a more integrated experience.
7 min read
Two wooden blocks on a diagonal orange and blue background; one block has a green plus sign, the other has a red minus sign.

Business Intelligence  

  • Cash Management
  • | Research
  • | Tuition

Is Your School’s Working Capital Working? This item is protected.

In 2023–24, most independent schools had a positive working capital ratio.
3 min read
playbook concept (1)

Feature  

  • Enrollment
  • | Financial Aid

The Outcomes Mandate: Enrollment Lessons from Higher Ed

As universities grapple with a crisis of value, a new playbook is emerging. For independent school leaders, the lessons are urgent: define your outcomes, or the market will define you
15 min read
CIA bees

Feature  

  • Communication
  • | Enrollment
  • | Financial Aid

The Deal(ing) is Done: Handling Financial Aid Requests This item is protected.

An increasing number of high-income families are seeking financial aid awards, requiring ever clearer communication and processes.
12 min read
stock photo of colorful price tags
  • Financial Aid
  • | Marketing
  • | Tuition

What Kinds of Independent Schools Are Using Indexed Tuition? This item is protected.

Schools employing indexed tuition receive less net tuition, have lower expenses and distribute more financial aid.
3 min read
Red ship on blue water view half under water half above
  • Change Management
  • | Enrollment
  • | Planning

Strategic Rightsizing to Strengthen School Operations This item is protected.

Strategic planning led to fewer enrolled students and higher NTR in the case of one boarding-day school.
3 min read
Art collage displaying a human hand and graduation cap with dollar sign against a beige background.

Business Intelligence  

  • Endowment
  • | Financial Aid
  • | Tuition

Variations in Tuition Discounting by Endowment Level This item is protected.

In 2023–24, schools without an endowment had a similar tuition discount rate as schools with large endowments.
5 min read
two household families

Risk & Compliance  

  • Enrollment
  • | Financial Aid
  • | Risk Management

Navigating Two-Household Families This item is protected.

Strong policies are critical when parents have different ideas about applications, financial aid and enrollment contracts.
6 min read
teacher salary graphic

Business Intelligence  

  • Employment
  • | Enrollment
  • | Tuition

How Many Tuition Payments Cover an Employee’s Salary? This item is protected.

In FY 2023, after tuition discounts, a median of 3.8 students’ net tuitions paid for one school employee.
7 min read
Tower Hill School campus

Feature  

  • Financial Aid
  • | Research
  • | Tuition

Remission Accomplished? This item is protected.

Tuition remission is on the rise. What does that mean for schools’ sustainability and culture?
14 min read
Friends Select School table

Feature  

  • Budget
  • | Enrollment
  • | Tuition

Public Funding, Private Choices: School Choice Funding This item is protected.

More states than ever are offering school choice funding, but are the strings attached worth it?
11 min read