Have any of you tried to teach students how to multiply before they understood addition? In much the same way, it is important for you, your staff and board members to understand that increasing enrollment builds on two prior foundations.

Here are the foundations, and benchmarks, to measure your school's progress toward healthy, sustained growth in your ministry.

Retention, in this context, is the percentage of students who re-enroll. It indicates your parents are at least happy enough to stay. Without this, new families who try your school for a year or two and then go elsewhere are counterproductive because they are adding to the pool of unsatisfied customers (and likely detractors) in your community.

How to quantify retention

• Take the list of students from fall of last school year and cross off all those who:

• Graduated,
• Moved out of the area, and
• Your school asked not to return.

• Calculate what percentage of those remaining on the list returned this school year.

• Please note two items:

• New students are not part of this calculation at all.
• Don’t cross off students because their financial status changed, their parents are divorcing, or for any other reason.

Adventist school marketing is not a matter of better promotion (social media, advertising, etc.) but of creating a program that parents, and others, are so thrilled with that they will actively refer others to your school.

​  carol.nash@nccsda.com

In the 2016–2017 school year, Vista Ridge Academy had 56 students enrolled. With financial pressures rising and classroom configurations stretched, long-term viability depended on intentional planning and faithful leadership.  This is when we planted the first seeds of a marketing and enrollment plan to help our school grow and thrive as a Christ-centered community. We were grateful for every family, knowing that true sustainability required deliberate action. We believed God had positioned our school to become the first choice for Christian education in the North Denver metropolitan area.

But belief alone is not a strategy. Growth requires roots—deep roots in mission, culture, and strategy. So, nearly ten years ago, we made a defining decision: enrollment would not grow because we wished it to. It would grow only if we built a plan, and worked it. By the 2021–2022 school year, those seeds had taken root, and enrollment reached 105 students. For the next three years, enrollment remained steady above 100. Growth was not accidental. It was the result of a written, measurable, mission-aligned plan.

Then in 2024–2025, enrollment declined to 85 students. It has since stabilized, but below our previous peak. Once again, we return to the principle that changed everything the first time: build the plan, work the plan, root deeply.

If your school is facing declining enrollment, you are not alone. Many Adventist schools are navigating demographic shifts, economic pressures, and increasing competition. But there is hope. Healthy enrollment grows from strong roots: mission clarity, intentional culture, and strategic systems.

1. Viewing Enrollment as a Growing System

Enrollment did not hinge on a single open house or social media post. Growth required coordinated effort across inquiries, admissions, and retention.

We intentionally:

• Engaged Adventist and community churches
• Built relationships with real estate groups serving new families
• Connected with feeder preschools
• Strengthened presence at town events
• Trained ambassadors and improved tours
• Streamlined applications and implemented continuous enrollment

Every stage reduced friction, increased confidence, and communicated stability.

2. Anchoring Growth in Mission-Aligned Culture

During our growth years, culture was defined by our CHERISH core values:

Christ-centered Living • Honor • Exploration • Responsibility • Integrity • Service • Heroism

CHERISH was not just an acronym. It guided classroom expectations, chapel messages, family communication, and student behavior. Families experienced alignment between our mission and daily practice.

Retention improved because families believed in our mission. Recruiting improved because culture was visible. Growth from 56 to 105 students was sustained not by marketing alone, but by identity.

3. Building Intentional Church and Community Partnerships

Adventist schools thrive when embedded in church and community life. We strengthened collaboration with local churches, partnered with the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and engaged Avista AdventHealth Hospital for wellness and mental health initiatives.

We joined the Chamber of Commerce, participated in town events, and positioned Vista Ridge Academy as a community partner. Marketing became presence, and presence-built credibility.

Enrollment grew from 56 to 105 students because:

• We set measurable targets
• We created a written, actionable plan
• We aligned marketing with mission
• We invested deeply in culture
• We reviewed progress annually
• We secured staff buy-in

Consistency, not intensity, produced momentum.

After three years above 100 students, enrollment declined to 85 in 2024–2025. External factors played a role, but internal clarity matters more than external conditions. A dip is data, not defeat. Rebuilding requires the same principles that drove growth: strategy, culture, and relational trust.

This year, we are:

• Reassessing classroom capacity and staffing
• Refining digital presence and visibility
• Strengthening follow-up with prospective families
• Evaluating tuition and financial aid accessibility
• Re-energizing church partnerships
• Expanding community engagement
• Reviewing conversion data from inquiry to enrollment

Most significantly, we continue to strengthen our culture through a renewed framework called “The Eagle Way.” Building on the foundation of our CHERISH core values, The Eagle Way guides our current season of intentional growth. It clarifies expectations, nurtures student leadership, emphasizes responsibility and service, and keeps Christ at the center of every action. By embedding these principles into daily life at Vista Ridge Academy, we ensure that our mission is not only taught but lived, shaping both our students and our school community as we rebuild and grow.

Our recent themes reflect intentional cultivation:

• From Little Seeds Grow Mighty Trees
• Rooted in Love
• Growing Together
• Keeping Jesus at the Core of Everything

These are not slogans; they are anchors for sustainable growth. Before enrollment rises, roots must deepen. Healthy culture leads to mission clarity, which builds trust and nurtures families to grow with us.

For Adventist schools seeking sustainable enrollment growth:

1. Put the plan in writing
2. Set clear numerical goals
3. Treat admissions as a system, not an event
4. Anchor growth in mission-driven culture
5. Build intentional church partnerships
6. Engage your community visibly and consistently
7. Review and refine annually
8. Work the plan, especially when enrollment dips

Enrollment health is not accidental. From 56 to 105, and now rebuilding from 85, we have learned that growth and recalibration require:

• Intentional planning
• Mission clarity
• Disciplined follow-through

Strategic planning is not a lack of faith, it is faith in action. Seasons of growth and seasons of rebuilding both require courage, humility, and leaders willing to examine data honestly while trusting fully in God’s leading. When enrollment dips, we do not retreat. We refocus on our mission, deepen our roots, and recommit to what matters most. We examine our systems, strengthen our culture, and intentionally engage families, churches, and communities.

We plant the seeds. We nurture them. And ultimately, it is God who gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6–7).

Adventist education deserves leadership that is both prayerful and purposeful. Our communities deserve schools that are rooted in love, growing strong, and keeping Jesus at the core of everything they do. By planting with intention, nurturing with care, and trusting God for the growth, we fulfill our mission and cultivate a thriving, Christ-centered school for generations to come.