Montessori Enrollment
A weekly read on enrollment, operations, & parent-facing strategy — written for the people running Montessori schools.
Five decisions the enrollment calendar has to settle before the school year ends
Most Montessori enrollment calendars get written in September. By then the market has moved and the decisions have already made themselves.
Read the issue →From the archive
- Issue No 08
Start the mixed-age classroom explanation with year three, not year one
Most Montessori tours explain mixed-age classrooms by starting with the youngest child. That framing raises a harder question than it answers.
- Issue No 07
The exit interview isn't for the family that's leaving
Most exit interviews at Montessori schools are designed to answer a question that can't be acted on. The better question is what's still active.
- Issue No 06
Why the tuition increase letter should go out before re-enrollment opens
Most Montessori schools send the tuition increase with the re-enrollment contract. That timing turns price into the first re-enrollment question.
- Issue No 05
The referral ask most Montessori schools make too early
Most Montessori referral programs generate few families a year not because the incentive is wrong, but because the ask is timed and worded poorly.
- Issue No 04
The family that didn't show up for their tour hasn't said no
A tour no-show is almost never a rejection. It's a scheduling failure, and the email you send in the next 24 hours determines whether the family comes back.
- Issue No 03
Losing four-year-olds to free pre-K is a messaging failure, not a market failure
When public pre-K expands into your market, the instinct to defend tuition is wrong. Here's what the schools holding enrollment are doing differently.
- Issue No 02
Stop sending the philosophy PDF to first-time inquirers
The Montessori philosophy explainer is the wrong response to a parent inquiry. Here's what to send instead, and why it converts better.
- Issue No 01
A four-question audit for stalled re-enrollment
When re-enrollment numbers slip, the cause is rarely the contract or the tuition. These four questions surface what's actually happening.
The Monday post.
One email a week. Written for the people running Montessori schools — directors, heads of school, enrollment leads. No fluff, unsubscribe any time.