This document summarizes enrollment strategies that have helped increase Catholic school enrollment in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It describes how declining enrollment led to closing schools but new strategies including tuition grants, targeted marketing campaigns, and accountability measures have helped stabilize and grow enrollment in recent years. Data on enrollment trends at the diocesan, elementary, and high school levels from 1990-2014 demonstrate the impacts of these strategies. Recommendations are provided for continued enrollment management.

1. ENROLLMENT
STRATEGIES THAT WORK
ACADEMIC SUCCESS! CATHOLIC VALUES!
Presenters
James S. Friend, Jr., M.A., Secretary for Stewardship & Development
Erica Gates, M.B.A., Director of School Marketing and Enrollment Management

2. Northeastern Pennsylvania
275,000 Catholics
5 Counties
104 Parishes
37 Elementary Schools
7 High Schools
3 Special Learning Centers
12,301 Students in K-12
Magnitude of the Business Enterprise: $70 million
business, 700 employees, mid-size business.
OUR DIOCESE

3.  The way that we were running our school system
did not work. We were working our way out of
business.
 This is a business problem:
 Management
 Economics
 Finance
 Governance
 Marketing
KEY ASSUMPTIONS

4. ENROLLMENT HISTORY
 Lost 30% of students (6,000) 25% of the schools and hundreds of
teachers.
 Engagement of the Bishop’s Commission on Catholic Schools
 We forced ourselves to look at the numbers. Enrollment Graphs
were created for the entire school system
 Painful reality
 Diocese
 Principals
 Pastors
 Donors
 Graphs were compiled into Enrollment
Booklet and shared with all constituencies
 Enrollment now tracked monthly
at the Diocesan level

5. 5
90 13371
91 13407
92 13566
93 13811
94 14047
95 14252
96 14288
97 14410
98 14281
99 14122
00 13749
01 13430
02 12900
03 12251
04 11640
05 11021
06 10646
07 10262
08 9877
09 9339
10 8812
11 8676
12 8779
13 8770
9339
8812
8676
8779
8770
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Total Enrollment Elementary
'09/'10: Lost 538 students/-5%/ -$1,237,000 tuition
'10/'11: Lost -527 students/-6%/-$1,212,000 tuition
'11/'12: Lost -136 students/-2%/ -$313,000 tuition
'12/'13: Gained 103 students/1%/ +$237,000 tuition
'13/'14: Lost -9 students/0%/ -$21,000 tuition
Closed McAdoo and Seton Academy in 2013 (183
students)
Average tuition net of financial aid is estimated at $2,300 per student.

6. 6
90 3515
91 3531
92 3615
93 3711
94 3820
95 3854
96 3930
97 3945
98 3930
99 3929
00 3981
01 3962
02 3888
03 3811
04 3795
05 3735
06 3711
07 3780
08 3683
09 3650
10 3528
11 3513
12 3453
13 3531
3650
3528
3513
3453
3531
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Total Enrollment High School
'10/'11: Lost -122 students/-3%/-$610,000
'11/'12: Lost -15 students/0%/ -$75,000
'12/'13: Lost -60 students/-2%/ -$300,000
'13/'14: Gained 78 students/2%/
+$390,000
First enrollment increase in 7 years
Biggest enrollment increase in 19 years
Total Freshman class increase +7%
*Average tuition net of financial aid is estimated at $5,000 per student.

7. ENROLLMENT HISTORY
 Challenges:
 Sluggish economy
 Declining populations/baptisms in certain areas
 Lack of Marketing at the school level
 No one was held accountable for enrollment
(Diocese or School)
 Insufficient Diocesan support for marketing and
advertising

8.  Accountability: Diocese/Schools
 Measurement/Tracking (Enrollment Booklet &
Diocesan Website)
http://www.allentowndiocese.org/enrollment/
 Reviewing the graphs with Principals, Pastors &
Diocesan staff
 Enrollment Goals: 2013-14 +2% & 2014-15 +3%
TRACKING ENROLLMENT

9. 9
90 253
91 264
92 265
93 250
94 250
95 238
96 251
97 247
98 244
99 232
00 205
01 199
02 176
03 179
04 183
05 167
06 179
07 182
08 187
09 177
10 177
11 188
12 218
13 252
177 177
188
218
252
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
St. Margaret, Reading
Berks County
'10/'11: No change/ 0%
'11/'12: Gained 11 students/6%
'12/'13: Gained 30 students/16%
'13/'14: Gained 34 students/16%
Three years of consecutive enrollment
growth
Largest enrollment in 21 years
Largest increase in 24 years
School approaching capacity

10. 10
90 2810
91 2814
92 2796
93 2773
94 2797
95 2910
96 3026
97 3065
98 3032
99 3070
00 3035
01 3010
02 2891
03 2849
04 2669
05 2544
06 2540
07 2466
08 2418
09 2294
10 2132
11 2150
12 2267
13 2402
2294
2132 2150
2267
2402
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Berks County Elementary Enrollment
'10/'11: Lost -162 students/-7%
'11/'12: Gained 18 students/1%
'12/'13: Gained 117 students/5%
'13/'14: Gained 135 students/6%
Three years of enrollment growth
Two years of 100+ enrollment
growth
Largest increase in 24 years

11. MARKETING STRATEGIES
 Airplane Model (Value of an empty seat)
 Tuition Transfer Grant Program
 Elementary School Grant: $1,500 ($1,000 in year 1
and $500 in Year 2). 95% of schools participated
 High School Grant: $3,000 ($2,000 in year 1 and
$1,000 in year 2). 100% of schools participated
 Program yielded: 426 grants in 2011-12 and 473
grants in 2013-14. Retention results (1st year test)
indicated 95% retention of transfer students.

12. MARKETING STRATEGIES
Messaging: Academic Success! Catholic Values!
Target Audiences
 Elementary Schools: Pre-k’s, current students, transfer
students and grandparents.
 High Schools: Feeder/Partner Schools, current students
and transfer students.

13. POSTCARD CAMPAIGN

14. POSTCARD CAMPAIGN

15. BILLBOARDS
& LAWN SIGNS

16. TV COMMERCIAL
http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ad_video/videos/2
014_Spots_Baress_CSW/index.html

17. MARKETING SAMPLES
College Matriculation Graphs
99%
73%
80%
68%
80% 80% 78%
86% 85% 87% 90%
77%
49%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
AllentownCentralCatholicHS
CatasauquaSHS
EmmausHS
LouisEDieruffHS
NorthamptonAreaHS
NorthernLehighSHS
NorthwesternLehighHS
ParklandSHS
SalisburySHS
SauconValleySHS
SouthernLehighSHS
WhitehallHS
WilliamAllenHS
Percentage of *Area High School Students
Attending 2 & 4 Year Colleges or Universities

18. Parish Bulletin Inserts
Data Source, Public:
http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/graduates/7426
MARKETING SAMPLES

19.  Letters & Email blasts to PREP families and partner
schools
 Exit Surveys: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
MARKETING SAMPLES

20. DIOCESAN
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Flat Tuition
 Tuition Pricing Increase
 Tuition Transfer Grants
 Memo to DRE’s
 Open Enrollment

21. ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES
 Boards of Directors & Governance
 Healey Education Foundation
 Diocesan Marketing Plan
 Advancement Directors
(Marketing/Development)
 Engaged Enrollment Committees

22. FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit: http://www.allentowndiocese.org/index.php?cID=1345