Montessori Growth Suite: A Collection of Tools & Strategies to Grow Your School
- Onespot Apps
- Jun 23
- 8 min read
Montessori schools often ask us about tips for marketing and growing their school, so we decided to take a little time to thoughtfully curate a powerful, practical, and Montessori-specific collection of strategies, tools, and tips to help your school thrive. Whether you're aiming to increase enrollment, build a stronger brand presence, or deepen engagement with families, this guide is designed to serve as your comprehensive Montessori growth suite.
More than just a list of tools, this is a full framework for growth—rooted in the unique values and needs of Montessori education. We know that Montessori schools face distinct challenges in marketing and operations, from educating families unfamiliar with the method to maintaining a personalized approach while scaling. That’s why this suite includes both modern digital solutions and timeless best practices, handpicked to support your mission.
If you're a Montessori administrator, admissions lead, or school founder, you’ll find this guide packed with actionable ideas—tools you can implement today to improve visibility, build trust with prospective families, and streamline your communication. This Montessori growth suite is your roadmap to sustainable growth, parent connection, and a thriving school community.
Let’s dive in.
1. Website & SEO Tools
Your school website is often the first impression a prospective parent will have of your Montessori program. That’s why it’s critical to ensure it’s modern, easy to use, and search-friendly.
A mobile-friendly design is essential, as most parents search for schools on their phones. Make sure your site loads quickly to keep visitors from bouncing. Include clear calls-to-action like “Schedule a Tour” or “Apply Now” so parents know what to do next. And of course, optimize your site for search engines by including keywords like “Montessori preschool in [Your City].”
Want to amplify your SEO even more? Consider publishing regular blog content that answers parent questions like “What is Montessori education?” or “Why multi-age classrooms work.” This strategy builds content-rich pages that attract search traffic.
Great SEO tools include:
Google Search Console: helps you monitor search performance and fix any issues.
Yoast SEO: a WordPress plugin that gives real-time optimization tips.
Moz: assist with keyword research and ranking tracking.
Pro tip: Having a custom-branded mobile app also boosts your visibility—when parents see your school’s app listing on Google, Apple App Store, or Play Store, it reinforces your brand and improves search performance. Your app becomes a “digital ambassador” that strengthens your Montessori school’s presence in search results. Here's a helpful article about that if you'd like to learn more.
2. Paid Advertising for Montessori Schools
Paid ads can be a fast track to getting your school in front of the right families.
Many Montessori schools hesitate to invest in marketing, yet as Tim Seldin of the Montessori Foundation points out, marketing is the difference between “barely hanging on and success.” Even a modest budget—used strategically—can have a powerful impact on awareness and enrollment.
With Google Ads, bid on carefully chosen keywords like “Montessori kindergarten near me.” Use geographic targeting so your budget reaches local parents, and take advantage of ad extensions to feature reviews, program pages, or tour links.
On Facebook/Instagram, create visual ads—short classroom videos, parent testimonials, or event promos—to engage local parents interested in education and Montessori. Track engagement and conversions to see which content effectively drives inquiries.
Nonprofit schools can also apply for Google Ad Grants, which offer up to $10,000/month in free ad spending—a game-changer for those wanting to grow inexpensively. Learn more about that here.
3. Parent Engagement & Communication
When families feel connected and informed, they become loyal advocates—one of the strongest growth drivers in any school.
Email platforms like Smore or Mailchimp are great for monthly newsletters packed with updates, upcoming events, and student stories.
SMS tools such as SimpleTexting or Onespot allow quick delivery of urgent reminders or alerts.
School apps can centralize all communication—calendars, daily updates, announcements, chats, and forms—into one parent-friendly hub.
For an even more seamless experience, consider pairing comprehensive Montessori record-keeping with a custom-app solution. For instance, the Transparent Classroom + Onespot bundle integrates lesson-level documentation, private parent messaging, group chats, billing, and calendar updates—all under one roof, and branded to your school . It’s a simple, unified way to keep families informed and deeply engaged. There are also other record-keeping solutions that can help with parent engagement, such as Montessori Compass or MRX.
Best practices include:
Sending monthly updates.
Sharing snapshots of student progress.
Providing easy options for forms and direct communication.
When parents feel connected, they stay—and they invite others along.
4. Marketing Services & Expert Help
When you’re ready to amplify your messaging, there are agencies that understand Montessori—inside and out.
Nido Marketing: Offers SEO, managed ads, content creation, and website development designed for Montessori schools.
Go Montessori: With over 20 years of experience, they handle branding, advertising campaigns, and digital outreach.
AiMS (Admissions & Inquiry Marketing Software): AiMS is a useful marketing platform built specifically for Montessori schools.
Montessori Marketing Strategies (WSI): Specialized in PPC, social ads, and email marketing aimed at reaching the right parent audience at the right time.
These teams and platforms know your unique messaging and audience, helping you grow more effectively with less stress. Often, working with a professional marketing service can allow you to skip most of the other tips in this Montessori growth suite—they just handle everything for you!
5. Social Media Content & Strategy
Your social media channels aren’t just platforms—they’re digital extensions of your classroom, your community, and your philosophy. A strong social media presence allows you to showcase the heart of your Montessori program: peaceful classrooms, engaged learners, thoughtful guides, and a commitment to child-led education.
Start by focusing on authenticity. Parents aren’t just looking for a school—they’re looking for a values-aligned partner in their child’s development. Use photos and short videos to give glimpses into daily life: a toddler carefully pouring water, a primary student working with the Pink Tower, or an upper elementary child researching independently. These quiet moments reflect the concentration, independence, and joy at the core of Montessori—and they tell a powerful story.
In addition to daily snapshots, share staff spotlights, student work displays, and behind-the-scenes looks at how your school operates. Help prospective families understand how Montessori principles are applied across age levels. Consider occasional “Did You Know?” posts that explain core elements of the method—like the three-hour work cycle or the importance of sensorial materials. Educational content builds trust and reinforces your expertise.
When it comes to tools, Canva makes it easy to create branded visuals that align with your school's aesthetic—calm, clean, and child-focused. Use scheduling platforms like Later or Buffer to maintain consistency without the daily burden of posting.
Engage your existing community, too. Encourage parents to tag the school in posts or use a school-specific hashtag. With proper permissions in place, reposting this user-generated content adds authenticity and fosters a sense of community. It also increases your reach organically—when parents share your posts, they introduce your school to new families in a personal and trusted way.
Best practices for Montessori social media strategy include:
Posting 2–4 times per week with a mix of visuals, stories, and educational content
Using a consistent visual language that reflects Montessori values (simple, serene, and student-centered)
Highlighting real student experiences rather than overly polished or staged content
Including clear calls-to-action when appropriate (e.g., “Schedule a tour,” “Learn more about our toddler program”)
Featuring testimonials from current parents or alumni to build credibility (Testimonial.to is a great tool for collecting testimonials from your parents)
Remember, social media is often the first exposure a prospective family has to your school. A warm, inspiring presence builds emotional connection, communicates your educational philosophy, and lays the groundwork for deeper engagement.
6. Enrollment Funnels & Tour Booking
A smooth enrollment journey is vital for converting interest into enrollment.
Your website should prominently feature Schedule a Tour, Request Info, and Apply Now sections that are intuitive and mobile-optimized.
Use Calendly or Acuity to let parents book tours directly and sync your calendar. Implement Typeform or Google Forms for inquiries or applications. Then, a CRM—like HubSpot, PipeDrive, or the Nido Marketing CRM—helps you track each lead and follow up effectively.
You can also explore platforms like Cordelia (by Clever Education Solutions), which streamlines admissions and automates applicant follow-up—reducing response times and making the experience smoother for both families and staff.
Keeping your funnel intuitive and parent-friendly will boost completed applications and successful enrollments.
7. Analytics & Improvement
Growth doesn’t happen by accident—it’s driven by data. Tracking how prospective families interact with your website, ads, and communication helps you understand what’s working and where to adjust. To close out this Montessori growth suite, here are a few tools you could consider using to get even more advanced with your marketing optimization.
Start with Google Analytics to see which pages parents visit most, how long they stay, and where they drop off. This can guide content updates, navigation tweaks, or clearer calls to action. Pair it with Google Search Console to monitor your site’s performance in search results and identify which keywords are attracting traffic.
Use Hotjar or similar heatmapping tools to visualize how parents scroll, click, and navigate your website. Are they finding your “Schedule a Tour” button? Are they engaging with your curriculum overview? These insights can directly inform design improvements.
For advertising, tools like Meta (Facebook) Pixel and Google Ads conversion tracking help you monitor campaign performance and retarget interested families who haven’t yet reached out. You’ll gain a clearer picture of cost-per-lead and which channels deliver the best ROI.
Regularly reviewing your analytics empowers you to refine your strategy—whether that’s shifting ad spend, updating your homepage, or tweaking form language—to better meet families where they are and turn curiosity into enrollment.
In Conclusion: A Montessori Growth Suite of Tools for Success
The journey to growing a Montessori school isn’t about flashy marketing or one-size-fits-all tactics. It’s about aligning your outreach, operations, and communications with the core values that make Montessori education so powerful—respect for the child, independence, community, and a deep commitment to lifelong learning.
This Montessori growth suite is more than just a collection of tools. It’s a holistic approach to building visibility, engagement, and trust with families—while staying true to your educational philosophy. From SEO and advertising to parent communication and enrollment tracking, each part of this suite is designed to help you grow intentionally, sustainably, and authentically.
As the landscape of education continues to shift, having a unified, Montessori-specific strategy puts your school in the best position to thrive. Whether you're launching a new program, expanding into a new age level, or simply trying to better connect with today’s families, this Montessori growth suite offers a proven foundation.
And remember: You don’t have to do it all at once. Start with the tools that feel most aligned with your current needs, measure their impact, and expand over time. Growth in Montessori is, after all, about following the child—and sometimes, that includes following the needs of your school community with equal care and intention.
Let this Montessori growth suite be your guide as you reach more families, tell your story more clearly, and cultivate a school that’s not just full—but flourishing.
This Montessori growth suite is just the beginning...
We’re always looking to make this Montessori growth suite even more helpful. If you use a tool, platform, or strategy that’s helped your school grow, we’d love to hear about it. Drop us a note and let us know what we should add: team@seabirdapps.com 🙂
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