Most schools focus their energy on the families they know about — the ones who toured, applied, or at least filled out an inquiry form. But the largest opportunity a school has is the lost families who researched and quietly walked away before anyone at the school ever knew they existed (known as the dark funnel problem). Engage more of those and your enrollment pipeline will increase significantly.
The answer is obvious: It's massively important. ParentLead simply makes those parent connections happen earlier and easier than anyone ever thought possible, at the most affordable price, while giving admissions complete control over the process.
The prospective parent's questions get answered and they have the confidence they need to take the next step to fill out an inquiry form, attend an open house, or do a tour.
We keep it simple: We match by closest grade level and ensure that no current parent volunteer handles more than two connections per month — keeping the experience genuine and manageable for your ambassadors.
ParentLead introduces parents by first name + last name initial in the group text thread. Phone numbers are not shown. Parents can decide what additional information they wish to share in their texts. Conversations happen within the text thread; no app download is required.
You can start with one. Each one is a volunteer and opts in to participate. You can invite more volunteers anytime. Since each volunteer handles no more than two connections per month, your parent community won't feel overburdened.
We include an admissions officer in every group chat we create, but their participation should be limited to engaging only when appropriate. We notify the parents that admissions will be added but they are there generally only to answer school question the parent might not know. In most cases, admissions officers do not actively text. We always provied a full transcript of every chat in the dashboard.
The service is free but standard carrier messaging rates may apply for families texting in — the same as any SMS message they send.
There is a single annual subscription cost based on the school's size: Under 400 students: $1,900; 400-900 students: $2,400; Over 900 students: $4,200. There are no other costs.
Schools are added to monthly cohorts. We have a short video call with the school to review the program and set their opt in word. After that, school setup involves two steps: (1) Inviting at least one current parent volunteer to opt-in, (2) placing our banner invitation link on your school's website. We provide those materials to the school. The program requires no technical skills or IT development work.
At the end of the pilot, you'll have seen: how easy and non-intrusive the program is, how many new parent leads were generated, what connections were made, and the numbers and quality of conversations completed. If you'd like to continue, you can pay for the full year and your subscription continues uninterrupted. If you'd like to end the program, it is as simple as removing the banner from your website.
Yes, and the transcript offers schools the best way to learn what prospective parents are concerned about. The transcripts are available in the school's dashboard.
Yes. ParentLead is designed for every K–12 school and every grade configuration, including Pre-K–12, K–8, 6–12, and high-school programs. We use a matching algorithm to match on grade bands most relevant to your prospective families' children.
Just ask them. Most are happy to help. Start with just one and add more very easily. We'll provide you with a brief explanation you can email or give them. They opt in in under two minutes from their own phone. This is not an app. It's a texting service. We offer them a short video explaining the service and what kinds of questions prospective parents may ask. You can pause existing ambassadors on your dashboard, and review each volunteer's connection history. You can also set a cap on how many connections each volunteer receives per month.
Yes. We fully satisfy FERPA and COPPA regulations, all student privacy laws, and texting laws under TCPA and CTIA. Review our privacy terms for more details. Parents are fully in control of their participation, every proactive opt in also includes clear opt out instructions (reply STOP at any time).
Simple — click "Reserve My School's Spot" on our Sign Up page. Fill out the brief form and we'll be in touch within one business day to confirm your spot and schedule your onboarding call.