From Awareness to Action: The Impact of Digital Ads in Education
Trust is built over time, and in school marketing, each click, call, or conversation is a milestone on the path to enrollment and recruitment. From emails to phone calls, website visits to open house registrations, every interaction matters. Digital ads play a key role in sparking awareness, building interest, and creating conversations that lead to trust.
Strategic Campaigns for Open Enrollment Success
Laura Jeffrey Academy (LJA) a St. Paul-based public charter school, offers families a one-of-a-kind middle school experience rooted in STEM, inclusivity and advocacy. To connect with more families during open enrollment season, LJA partnered with CEL to design a targeted digital ad strategy that fueled significant, sustained growth.
Seasonal campaigns used varied messaging and creative assets to reach families at the right moments. Ads highlighted LJA’s strengths and invited families to take the next step—whether requesting a tour, scheduling a shadow day, or submitting an application.
Results
Balancing a strategic advertising schedule with on-brand creative assets, LJA achieved a 222% increase in enrollment over three years. The campaigns expanded social media reach, boosted website traffic, and consistently converted interest into leads. Most importantly, the steady visibility helped LJA welcome more families, sustain full classrooms, and strengthen its reputation in the community.
Consistent Exposure Brings Consistent Leads
New Code Academy is a fully online K-12 school with a computer science focus, offering families flexible learning opportunities. Because enrollment decisions for an online school are less predictable, New Code Academy needed a marketing approach that kept them visible year-round.
CEL partners with the school to build a consistent, always-on digital advertising schedule. Campaigns rotated creative assets and messages to address the diverse reasons families seek online learning—from academic goals to scheduling flexibility to changing family needs. This adaptable approach ensured the school stayed relevant to families entering the market at different times.
Results
The 2024-25 digital ad campaigns delivered exceptional outcomes for New Code Academy, achieving a 48.6x return on ad spend and net ROI of +1,366%. Campaigns generated some of the highest volumes of leads in recent years, with a cost-per-lead averaging well below industry benchmarks across search, social, and remarketing. While enrollments for online schools are naturally less predictable, the consistent year-round strategy ensured ongoing visibility and kept New Code Academy top of mind for families. The result was a reliable pipeline of high-quality leads and a strong, measurable impact that demonstrated the power of steady digital advertising investment.
"I've heard nothing but positive comments about everything the CEL team has put together. With your help, we are just 6 kids shy of our enrollment goal and we are still 4 weeks out from the start of school. Thank you for everything!"
~Andrea HalversoN
Executive Director (NECP)
Aligning Digital Strategy with Family Decision Cycles
Fox Valley Virtual Schools (FVVS) is a Wisconsin-based, tuition-free virtual charter school for grades 4K-8. In a state with many online learning options, FVVS stands out by combining individualized instruction with dedicated classroom teachers and unique nature-based field experiences.
To address year-round enrollment needs, CEL built a two-pronged digital advertising strategy. Campaigns targeted two primary groups: families making mid-year transitions and families evaluating schools during the open enrollment period. Mid-year changes often stem from school anxiety or avoidance, challenges with a self-paced online program, or homeschooling families seeking additional support. By running campaigns across multiple platforms with on-brand creative assets and updated website content, FVVS was able to reach these families with relevant, reassuring messages at critical decision points.
Results
The campaigns delivered strong, measurable results across multiple enrollment cycles.
- In spring 2023, FVVS achieved a 20x return on ad spend with a net ROI of nearly +1,900%.
- During the 2023–24 school year, momentum accelerated, generating a 27x return on ad spend and a net ROI above +2,600%.
- Most recently, for the 2024–25 school year, FVVS reached nearly 100 percent of its enrollment goal, growing enrollment by 16.7% year-over-year—well above the charter’s benchmark.
Even as cost-per-seat rose with broader reach, the campaigns continued to bring in high-quality leads and applications. These results highlight how aligning ad spend with family decision cycles builds sustained growth, full classrooms, and lasting community trust.
Building Awareness and Trust Through Multilingual Campaigns
Northeast College Prep (NECP) is a multicultural K–8 charter school in Minneapolis serving a diverse community of families. To strengthen awareness and attract new students, NECP partnered with CEL to launch its first paid digital campaigns focused on both general visibility and enrollment.
Campaigns ran across Google Ads and social media, using creative assets that reflected NECP’s values of inclusivity and academic excellence. To ensure outreach reached as many families as possible, campaigns were translated into Arabic, Somali, and Spanish—languages widely spoken in the school community. This approach helped NECP connect authentically with non-native English speakers and English language learning families, building trust while lowering barriers to engagement.
Results
Between February 2024 and May 2025, Google Ads campaigns generated 287 qualified leads at an average cost per lead of $60, delivering a strong return on investment. By reaching families in multiple languages, NECP not only expanded its visibility but also fostered meaningful connections with a more diverse parent community. Beyond lead volume, the campaigns helped staff build confidence and capacity to continue managing digital outreach in-house, setting the school up for sustainable success year after year.
Recruiting Staff With Purpose-Driven Digital Ads
Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, located just outside Colorado Springs, faced the dual challenge of nationwide staffing shortages and a highly mobile military community. Competition for qualified teachers and staff was intense, making it difficult for the district to begin the year fully staffed..
To address this need, CEL developed a targeted digital recruitment campaign that highlighted education as a fulfilling career path and reinforcing the district’s connection to its military community. Campaigns ran across multiple digital platforms, combing values-based messaging with distinctive brand visuals to ensure the district stood out from competing employers.
Results
The campaign significantly increased awareness of open positions and drove applications, which allowed Fountain-Fort Carson to begin the school year with all staff positions filled. In a competitive hiring environment, this outcome underscored the power of well-crafted recruitment advertising to not only capture attention but also convert interest into action. By positioning careers in education as both meaningful work and a stable career choice, the district strengthened its reputation as an employer of choice within its community.
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Digital ads do more than generate clicks—they keep schools visible at the moments that matter most. For families exploring enrollment options or job seekers considering their next move, each impression, inquiry, or application strengthens awareness and connection.
When campaigns are managed strategically and budgets are allocated with care, schools see measurable year-over-year growth—even if no other marketing tactics are added. Digital ads don’t just spark awareness; they create steady momentum. But more than that, continuous exposure isn’t just about filling seats or roles—it’s about creating lasting relationships that help schools thrive and communities grow stronger.