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District credits social media push and rebranded online academy for enrollment gains
Summary
District marketing staff reported a sharp rise in engagement and applications after rebranding Inland Online Academy; trustees heard data showing social media views in the hundreds of thousands and a projected online enrollment of 200 by month'end.
District communications staff presented a three-month marketing push that officials say is driving enrollment recoveries and stronger community engagement.
The communications lead described a strategy focused on Facebook for community reach, Instagram for student-facing visual content and LinkedIn for professional outreach. Staff said the district's main Instagram account aggregated posts and stories from individual campuses and extracurricular groups to generate broader exposure. For June through August, the district reported a combined 384,828 views across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn; Instagram accounted for about 77% of that activity.
Staff highlighted Inland Online Academy (formerly listed in the presentation with its prior name), which had 64 students at the start of the school year and, as of the board meeting, about 142 applications with a projection of roughly 200 by the end of September. The presenter said about one-third of current online-enrolled students live in-district but had not previously been attending district schools, which the district said indicates some students are returning to the district because of expanded program options.
Trustees asked how outreach would translate to sustained enrollment and asked for follow-up data on incoming and outgoing transfers, re-enrollment reasons, and campus-level breakdowns. District staff said counsel and site principals are working on detailed metrics and that a later report will break down interdistrict transfers, retention, and survey results about why students enroll or leave.
Ending: The board encouraged staff to continue multimedia outreach and asked administration for a future report on transfer and re-enrollment patterns to clarify whether gains are durable.
Topics: marketing, enrollment recovery, online academy and student recruitment.
