Apart from always seeking to increase your enrollment of new students, re-enrolling current students is also important for your school as well. Aside from increasing your number of students, losing current students is bad for ‘business. Not only are the parents the main source of revenue for your school, but the students themselves are also the major reason why you are even functioning as a school – or what is a school without the students?
Improving your retention rate is a benefit for every member of the school, and this should be an objective of all the staff in the school. Having a better understanding as to why students leave your school will help you improve your retention tactics, thereby creating a more stable/sustainable future for your school.
Reasons Families Leave
1. Safety
We are all aware of the issue of insecurity in the country today. It was reported by the U.N. children’s agency that more than 700 students have been kidnapped since December 2020 – what a huge number. So do not be surprised if parents decide to change their children’s school because of this. Apart from physical safety, psychological safety is another reason why parents move their kids.
If a family feels that their child is at risk in any way – from crime in the local neighborhood, for example, or bullies in the school environment – they will go elsewhere. It is crucial to ensure that parents know that they are protected. Do not give them doubt about their children’s safety in your school.
2. High Tuition Fee
Another common reason why families leave schools is when they can no longer afford the tuition fee. When families say they can’t afford the tuition fee, there are two things involved;
- They no longer believe that your school worth the tuition paid.
- The family’s interest has changed.
The first point signifies that after your school is not meeting up with the expectation they have. The family has probably weighed the options of private and public schools and has come to discover that there is little or no benefit to the private school.
If the family truly does not have the funds to remain with your school, a different discussion might be in order. Their student might be provided temporary aid or awarded scholarships. Having these financial options is easy and can improve retention.
3. Student Satisfaction
Successful retention is not only about the parents, but it also involves the students especially those in higher grades. Students start to have a say in their education as they mature, and their opinion starts to matter in the decision-making process of where he/she wants to enroll.
If a student is not happy with your school, you should find out why. It might be a temporary issue – like having a problem with a subject, not making the school team, dispute with classmates or teachers, etc – issues like this can be addressed before you lose such a student.
Student dissatisfaction can also come from real hard issues like a shift in their educational need that your school is unable to meet or provide. In a case like this, it is safer to work out a transfer for such a student.
