The Deposit Isn't the Decision [298]

It's the first week of July. Somewhere in your enrolled list is a mom who signed in March. The deposit cleared, the welcome email went out, and nothing has happened since.

Last night at a neighborhood barbecue, someone mentioned the public school just hired a new art teacher. Someone else mentioned what they're saving without tuition. She didn't argue. She just went quiet and thought about the enrollment forms she still hasn't finished.

You won't hear about that conversation. You'll find out in August, when the class list comes up one short.

A deposit is not a decision. It's a reservation. Families keep weighing their options long after the check clears, and July is when the weighing happens. A job wobble. A neighbor's offhand comment. Nobody calls to tell you they're wavering.

I get why this is invisible. You're measured on inquiries and tours, so that's where your summer attention goes. Nobody's dashboard has a column for enrolled families going quiet. After 28 years inside schools, I can tell you most schools spend more energy on a family in week one of the funnel than in the five months after yes.

And the math is lopsided. Keeping one enrolled family is worth a full year of tuition, more than your next twenty inquiries combined.

Three moves before Friday:

Families rarely melt because something went wrong. More often, nothing happened at all.

When did your enrolled families last hear from you, and was it about anything other than paperwork?

Thanks,
Brendan

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Bio: Miriam Stein is a graduate of an independent day school and an educator at heart. She served as the upper school director of admission at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, part of a team responsible for maintaining the school’s 1000-student enrollment. After more than 20 years in education and in strategic enrollment, she moved into the world of consulting with Thrive Hive to help school professionals around the country with teamwork, collaboration and enrollment strategy. Miriam is a regular presenter for EMA, AISAP, Niche, FinalSite, Prizmah, and others.

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