For Administrators

2020 has turned out to be a most unusual year. The coronavirus pandemic has turned everything upside down and inside out. Nothing is normal. All of this has impacted boarding schools in ways they never expected. While most private school boards of trustees are smart enough to have resumption of business plans in place and adequate insurance coverage for the school plant and the usual liability issues, very few school trustees ever expected to be dealing with so many challenges converging at the same time. Against that backdrop, I thought it would be useful to conduct a fictional interview with the head of a boarding school. After all, her concerns are probably yours as well.

Rob: What challenges at school in the fall of 2020 keep you awake at night?

Head of school: Oh, Rob! Where do I begin? There are so many things demanding my attention. My workday starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. if I'm lucky. And I work every day just to keep my head above water.

Rob: What then is your most pressing concern?

Head of school: My number one concern is the financial condition of my school. The board and I had not budgeted for dozens of COVID-19-related expenses. Tasks such as wiping down all the frequently touched surfaces like door handles, light switches, stair rails, and so much more are essential while the pandemic is all around us. We had to hire a deep-cleaning service to sanitize our common

Why is social media critical to any boarding school's marketing program? The simple answer is that you must expose your fine school to as many potential new clients as possible. You know what your school offers and are very proud of it. Unfortunately, families with boarding school-age children living a few hours away downstate or in another part of the country will never even hear about your school unless you make sure it is obvious. Not just visible. Very visible.

In 2026, that visibility must extend across search engines, social platforms, short-form video, and the school's own website. Recent research from the Pew Research Center examines how parents and teenagers use platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, underscoring why schools must understand where families spend time online.

While the following video is entitled 13 Proven Social Media Marketing Tips for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs, Brian's information is relevant to administrators of boarding schools. After all, your boarding school is a business. Even if you have nonprofit status, your school is still a business.

Thirty or forty years ago, all a boarding school had to do to get the word out about its programs and desirability was to procure a listing in a boarding school directory and correspond with a group of educational consultants you knew could send potential clients your way. The boarding school directories are now all online. This site is a

A day school is not an easy enterprise to run because, for one thing, it is dependent on the local economy and demographics. The closing of a major employer or the departure of young families from the area can challenge the existence of even the best-run private day school. In addition to those local conditions, a boarding or residential school is subject to national and global economic trends. Many American boarding schools have a significant percentage of their students drawn from outside the United States. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, changing visa policies, or regional conflicts can all affect international enrollment. Likewise, fluctuations in the U.S. economy can make it more difficult for families to afford a boarding school education.

With these considerations in mind, let's look at five challenges facing American boarding schools and some common-sense solutions to those challenges.

1. The Natural Parental Resistance to Sending Children Off to a Residential School

It is hard enough for most American parents to send their children away to college, much less to boarding school. The idea of sending a fifteen-year-old away to a residential high school meets with serious resistance from many parents. There are many reasons for this reluctance, but the primary ones are the cost of boarding school and the feeling that the local public high school or private day school can do just as good a job of preparing their children for college. There's also a nagging concern that perhaps their son or daughter is not

Summer is often an ideal time for administrators in a private school to take stock of what worked and what didn't work in the year just finished. It makes sense for the marketing team to step back and spend a few hours reviewing their campaigns. Because marketing sometimes feels more like an art than a science, it is even more important to examine the tools which your school is using.

In particular, the ideas and suggestions offered here are aimed at small to medium-sized boarding schools with limited marketing resources. These schools are often hidden gems, and effective social media use can significantly expand their visibility and enrollment reach.

The Unique Marketing Challenge of Boarding Schools

Boarding schools continue to face persistent misconceptions:

• “Only for wealthy families”
• “For struggling students”
• “Too far from home”

These perceptions still exist in 2026, but today’s families are more open to alternatives thanks to increased digital transparency and virtual engagement tools.

To better understand how boarding schools differ from other private options, see: What is a Boarding School

Your role as a marketer is to reshape these narratives using authentic, consistent storytelling.

Why Social Media Still Delivers Strong ROI

Social media remains one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available. However, the landscape has evolved significantly since earlier platforms dominated.

2026 Trends Schools Must Leverage

• Short-form video dominates (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts)
• AI-assisted content creation improves efficiency
• Parent research behavior has shifted to video-first discovery
• Authenticity outperforms polish

According to the National Center for

By now, two decades into the 21st century, it is obvious even to the most jaded, cynical people out there that we must rethink how we live and function on this planet, which we call Earth. We are discovering that Earth's resources are finite. We are finally realizing that we must conserve energy. We are rethinking the cost of goods and services regarding their carbon footprint. Sustainability is no longer a theory. It is a concept that is being put into daily practice. In 2026, sustainability has also become a strategic priority for many independent and boarding schools, influencing everything from campus operations to curriculum and long-term planning.

That's why it is very encouraging to see so many private schools making progress towards developing sustainable schools. For schools, sustainability involves the wise use of energy and foodstuffs, the prudent management of a school's fiscal resources, and more. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) published an excellent white paper, Sustainability: Creating 21st Century Sustainable Schools. Let's look at the five areas of sustainability that this document puts forth. The NAIS calls these "dimensions," which is an apt description. "Area" implies a confined space. "Dimension" speaks to the challenge's vastness and the solution's scope.

Financial Sustainability

Financial sustainability is all about drawing a line and setting responsible limits. It doesn't matter whether you have $100,000 in the bank or $900 million in your savings account. Schools need to use all the expertise and tools available to them