October 10, 2025
The US education sector, particularly private schooling, is facing significant headwinds, making market research an indispensable tool for securing institutional stability and growth.
Across California, private school enrollment saw a decrease of nearly 4% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, according to ABC 7, signaling a wider trend of declining student numbers. This challenge is acute in metropolitan areas, evidenced by the closure of six Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles due to low enrollment. Compounding these systemic issues are external factors like natural disasters, with California wildfires, for example, costing students their education.
In this climate of decreasing enrollment, shifting demographics, and unpredictable external threats, market research provides schools with the crucial data needed to understand the modern parent's decision-making process, allowing private educational institutions to tailor their educational offerings and marketing to boost enrollment.
In this edition of our monthly vlog, Owner and Founder of Ready to Launch Research, Jenny Karubian reveals that she specializes in ‘helping private schools to boost enrollment’. As a former educator herself, having served as a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, Jenny shares the length and breadth of her experience in education market research, as she says she’s worked with a variety of educational institutions including:
Private K-12 schools often need to gain a deeper understanding of their competitive landscape to effectively drive enrollment. One of the first things institutions must establish is a clear picture of what their competition is offering in the marketplace. This goes beyond simply reviewing curricula; it involves a meticulous analysis of their rivals' marketing and recruitment strategies.
Schools must specifically investigate how other private schools are recruiting interested students and engaging entire families during the decision process. By fully grasping these methods, a school can identify its unique value proposition. The fundamental question market research helps answer is: What is it that truly differentiates one private school from another in the eyes of prospective parents and students? Answering this question is key to developing a distinctive enrollment strategy.
Another crucial step schools are taking is to map out the "purchase journey" of prospective families. This means gaining a holistic understanding of every touchpoint a family encounters while deciding on a private school. The journey is highly complex and involves a multitude of information sources.
According to Jenny, this path includes everything from an initial Google search or research using AI tools like ChatGPT, to asking for word-of-mouth references from friends, family, or a local minister.
It also involves interacting with the school through formal and informal channels, such as attending recruitment activities or simply going to athletic events. Understanding all the different ‘stops along the way’, as Jenny puts it, that lead to the final private school decision is an area of significant opportunity.
For the institutions engaging in this type of market research, this complexity has been a revelation, highlighting numerous potential areas for improvement. By mapping the full purchase journey, schools uncover great opportunities for making small, targeted changes that lead to a very big difference in their enrollment numbers.
If you’re interested in using market research to boost private school enrollments by understanding the competitor landscape and the consumer purchase journey, get in touch to book a consultation.
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