Quick answer: A private school website needs a clear home page, an about section, academics, admissions, tuition, a calendar, news and a contact page. It also needs trust pages on accreditation, safety and policies, plus an easy path to an inquiry form. Everything must load fast and work well on a phone.
Most families meet your school online before they ever visit. Your website is the first tour they take. This private school website checklist walks through every page that matters and what each one should do. For the bigger picture on planning, budget and design, start with our private school website guide.
Who visits a private school website?
Before you list pages, think about who arrives and what they need. Each group has a different question in mind.
- Prospective parents want to know if your school fits their child. They look for programs, culture, tuition and how to apply.
- Current parents want the calendar, news, forms and contacts. They visit often and want answers fast.
- Students look for schedules, clubs, sports and links to learning tools.
- Staff and job seekers want to see your mission, leadership and open positions.
- Accreditors and partners check your mission, policies, leadership and accreditation status.
Prospective parents matter most for enrollment. But a site that ignores current families creates frustration and extra phone calls. Plan for both.
What pages must every private school website include?
These are the core pages. A small school can combine some of them, but none should be missing.
Home page
The home page answers three questions in a few seconds. Who are you? Who do you serve? What should I do next? Use one strong photo of real students, a short statement of what makes your school different and two clear buttons, such as "Book a tour" and "Inquire now."
Keep the home page focused. Long sliders and walls of text push the next step out of sight.
About
The about section tells your story. Include your mission and vision, a short history, your leadership team and what daily life looks like. Families want to know the people in charge. Add real photos and short bios for the head of school and key leaders.
If your brand needs work before you build pages, our guide on creating a school brand that attracts families is a good place to start.
Academics
Describe your programs by grade band or division. Explain your curriculum, class sizes, language support, special programs and how you measure progress. Avoid jargon. A parent should understand what their child will learn and how.
If you offer an American diploma, IB, AP or dual diploma, give each a short page. These are high-interest topics for families comparing schools.
Admissions
The admissions page is where interest turns into action. List the steps in order, from inquiry to enrollment. Show key dates, required documents and who to contact. Add a clear inquiry form and a tour booking option on this page.
For a deeper look at this page and the forms behind it, read how to turn school website visitors into enrollment inquiries.
Tuition and fees
Many schools hide tuition. In my work with schools, I have seen how often this frustrates families. A parent who cannot find a fee range often leaves for a school that shows one.
Publish your tuition by grade, or at least a clear range. List what is included and what costs extra. Explain payment plans, sibling discounts and financial aid if you offer it.
Calendar
Post the school year calendar with term dates, holidays and key events. Make it easy to find from every page. Current families use it constantly, and prospective families check it to plan.
News and events
A news section shows your school is active. Share student achievements, events and updates. Post regularly, even if it is only twice a month. A news page with nothing new in a year sends the wrong signal.
Contact
Give your full address, a map, phone number, email and office hours. Add a short contact form. If you have more than one campus, list each one separately.
Which trust pages do families and accreditors expect?
Trust pages answer the question every parent asks quietly: is this school safe and legitimate? They also matter to accreditation visitors, who check your website as part of a review.
Include these trust pages:
- Accreditation and memberships. Name the accrediting body, your current status and what it means for families. Link to the accreditor's directory listing if one exists.
- Safeguarding and child protection. Summarize your approach, name your designated safeguarding lead and explain how to raise a concern.
- Key policies. Post your admissions, attendance, behavior, anti-bullying, privacy and complaints policies, or summaries with downloadable copies.
- Leadership and governance. Show who leads the school and who oversees it.
- Staff qualifications. Explain how you hire and what credentials teachers hold.
- Health and safety. Cover campus security, health services and emergency procedures.
We cover each of these in detail in trust pages: what your website should show about accreditation, safety and policies.
What does a good inquiry path look like?
An inquiry path is the route a parent takes from first visit to filled-in form. Every extra click loses people.
Check your path against these points:
- A visible "Inquire" or "Book a tour" button sits in the header of every page.
- The admissions page is one click from the home page.
- The inquiry form asks only for what you need first: parent name, email, phone, child's grade and start date.
- The form works on a phone without zooming.
- A thank-you page or email confirms what happens next and when.
- Someone on your team follows up within one school day.
The last step is not a web page, but it decides whether the website pays off. A fast, personal reply turns an inquiry into a tour.
Why do mobile and speed matter so much?
Many parents browse school websites on a phone, often in short moments between other tasks. If pages load slowly or text is tiny, they leave.
Google also looks mainly at the mobile version of your site. Its own guidance says it uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. A weak mobile site can hurt how easily families find you.
Simple checks you can do today:
- Open your site on your own phone. Can you find tuition and the inquiry form in under a minute?
- Compress large photos before you upload them.
- Replace long PDFs with web pages where you can.
- Make buttons large enough to tap with a thumb.
What other features help a school website work?
Beyond the core pages, a few features make a real difference.
- Accessibility basics. Add alt text to images, use strong color contrast, caption videos and make sure forms work with a keyboard. This helps every visitor, not only those with disabilities.
- A parent portal link. Point current families to your SIS or LMS login from a clear spot in the header or footer.
- Careers page. List open roles and explain why teachers enjoy working with you.
- Virtual tour or video. A short video helps families who cannot visit in person, especially for international and online schools.
- Language options. International schools may need key pages in more than one language.
- Basic SEO. Each page needs a clear title, a short description and headings that match what parents search.
- Analytics. Track visits, inquiry form submissions and where visitors come from.
Private school website checklist
Use this table to review your current site or plan a new one. Mark each item as done, needs work or missing.
| Page or feature | What it must include | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Clear message, real photos, "Inquire" and "Book a tour" buttons | |
| About | Mission, vision, history, leadership bios | |
| Academics | Programs by grade, curriculum, class sizes, special programs | |
| Admissions | Step-by-step process, dates, documents, inquiry form | |
| Tuition and fees | Fees by grade or range, inclusions, payment plans, aid | |
| Calendar | Term dates, holidays, key events | |
| News and events | Recent posts, at least twice a month | |
| Contact | Address, map, phone, email, hours, form | |
| Accreditation | Accrediting body, status, what it means | |
| Safeguarding | Approach, safeguarding lead, how to report a concern | |
| Policies | Admissions, behavior, privacy, complaints and more | |
| Careers | Open roles, how to apply | |
| Inquiry path | Header button, short form, confirmation, fast follow-up | |
| Mobile and speed | Fast load, readable text, tappable buttons | |
| Accessibility | Alt text, contrast, captions, keyboard-friendly forms | |
| SEO and analytics | Page titles, descriptions, form tracking |
A school that ticks every row has a strong base. Most schools find three or four gaps on the first pass. Fix the admissions path and tuition page first, because they have the most direct effect on enrollment.
Get a free website report card
Not sure how your site measures up? Get a free website report card from EduVision. We'll show you what helps and what blocks enrollment. Learn more about our school marketing and digital presence services or contact us to request yours.
Frequently asked questions
How many pages does a small private school website need?
Fewer than most people expect. The core pages, one page per main program and the trust pages cover what families need. Quality matters more than page count.
Should we publish tuition on our website?
Yes, in most cases. Families compare schools online and often skip those that hide costs. If you cannot share exact fees, publish a range and explain what affects the final amount.
How often should we update our school website?
Update news and events at least twice a month. Review admissions, tuition and calendar pages before each enrollment season. Check trust pages and policies once a year or whenever a policy changes.
What is the most common gap on private school websites?
In my experience, it is a weak admissions path. The inquiry form is hard to find, too long or broken on mobile. Fixing that one gap often brings more inquiries than a full redesign.
