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Stillwater unveils enrollment marketing push, aims to raise capture rate from about 71%
Summary
District communications staff outlined a multi‑pronged enrollment marketing plan — including Welcome Center services, targeted mailers, digital campaigns and expanded immersion capacity — aiming to raise the district’s capture rate from about 71% toward an 80% target over three years.
Stillwater Area Public Schools presented an enrollment marketing update that outlines strategies to retain and attract families amid competition from charter, private and online schools.
Melanie Olsen Cox, the district’s communications supervisor, and other staff said the district’s current capture rate is about 71% (the state average cited as roughly 70–80%). They identified shifting demographics, housing growth in Woodbury/Lake Elmo, and many local schooling options as drivers of student movement.
Planned actions include expanding outreach for Spanish immersion (Amigos Unidos) now that new Bayport/Lake Elmo building space will accommodate more students, streamlining enrollment forms (so immersion is selectable in the main enrollment portal), targeted direct mail and digital ads for areas near Lake Elmo and Bayport, kindergarten open houses and tours, and a Welcome Center staffed by a coordinator (Carla Edwards) to assist families with language barriers and enrollment navigation.
Melanie highlighted content and social media as low‑cost, high‑reach tactics and noted a recent short video had more than 12,000 views. Staff said they would continue to track kindergarten and preschool recruitment and to refine exit and entry surveys to better understand why families choose or leave the district.
The board discussed capture‑rate details and asked for more data breakdowns (e.g., where students are going: charter, private, homeschool, neighboring districts). Staff said they will bring further enrollment detail and trends back to the board in a forthcoming update.
