SCHOOL HISTORY Founded in 1875 Located in Mt. Pleasant, Utah Current enrollment 148 –81% boarding students –19% local students Faculty and staff

OBJECTIVES Recommend areas Wasatch Academy should focus on Recommend ways to better reach target market Feedback regarding a possible expansion of a performing arts program Understand the strengths and weaknesses of Wasatch Academy and propose possible improvements for the school Understand the selection process of parents for boarding schools

METHODOLOGY Focus groups Questionnaires In-depth Interviews

FOCUS GROUPS & IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS Held three focus groups at Wasatch Academy –Freshman –Sophomores –Juniors and Seniors Called five boarding school consultants

QUESTIONNAIRE Students of Wasatch Academy –150 handed out –59 were completed Parents of Wasatch Academy Students –97 mailed out –35 completed Parents of students who applied, were accepted, but rejected –17 mailed out –3 completed Parents currently interested in boarding schools –36 mailed out –2 completed

LIMITATIONS Time Money Sampling Error Processing Error Response and Non-Response Bias

Response rates of 5% or less are common in mail surveys. MSM received a 23.3% response rate.

FINDINGS

TARGET MARKET We asked parents: “What is the main academic reason you sent your child to Wasatch?” 68.6% answered College Prep and 11.4% answered Learning Strategies

We asked students: “What is your primary reason for attending Wasatch Academy?” 47.5% answered College Prep and 18% answered Learning Strategies

We also asked students: “How important have academics been in shaping your experience as a whole?” 89.8% of students stated that academics are somewhat to very important to them

Consultants said the most common type of student they recommend to Wasatch are: –students who have not reached their full potential –students who would benefit from more individual attention –students that need extra social and academic support –students who need to develop a sense of who they are

HOW TO REACH TARGET MARKET Parents suggested the number one way to reach the target market was to contact public schools Currently, most parents find out about Wasatch through consultants

PERFORMING ARTS We asked parents: “If Wasatch Academy were to enhance its performing arts program, how important would that be in influencing you to send your child to Wasatch?”

PERFORMING ARTS We asked students: “If Wasatch were to devote a significant amount of resources to enhancing the performing arts programs offered at the school, how likely would you be to participate in one of the programs?”

AREAS OF FOCUS Parents were asked to list the three most important things they look for in boarding schools 74% of parents consider academics to be among the most important features when selecting a boarding school 51% of parents listed a nurturing environment

AREAS OF FOCUS We asked parents: “Excluding academics, what is the most influential factor that caused you to choose Wasatch over other boarding schools?” –28% answered faculty –28% answered sports and recreational activities

AREAS OF FOCUS Students said: “The outdoor recreation activities offered at Wasatch made the school:”

AREAS OF FOCUS We also asked students: “How important were these activities in your decision to come to Wasatch?” –78.9% said they were of average to great importance

STRENGTHS Parents were asked to list the three most important things they liked about Wasatch Academy Wasatch’s biggest strengths are a caring, nurturing environment created by the staff and faculty, the academic program, the small overall size of the school, and the wide variety of quality outdoor and indoor recreational activities and sports The majority of consultants, students, and parents had very high opinions of Wasatch

WEAKNESSES Parents were asked to list the three most important things they disliked about Wasatch Academy Based on parent surveys, Wastch’s biggest weakness is poor communication with parents Based on student surveys, food, teacher turnover and expertise, and “problem” students distracting from the learning environment are the main weaknesses

IMPROVEMENTS The most important improvement to students is the food at Wasatch The most important improvement to parents is the communication between them and the school

PARENT SELECTION PROCESS Parents were asked what their first step in researching boarding schools was when they started to consider sending their child to one It is interesting to note that most parents start their search on the web; however, they do not hear about Wasatch until they speak with a consultant Other common steps: Peterson’s Guide Referrals

OTHER FINDINGS FROM STUDENT SURVEYS The following points are based on student survey correlations : Students who have more input in the school selection process are much more satisfied with the school and they also have better relationships with parents The outdoor and extracurricular activities are influential in persuading students in choosing one school over another After visiting the campus, students overall opinions of the school are drastically changed for the better. Students generally had a significant amount of input in deciding which school to attend.

OTHER FINDINGS FROM STUDENT SURVEYS The following points are based on student survey correlations: Students who have more input in the school selection process are much more satisfied with the school and they also have better relationships with parents After visiting the campus, students overall opinions of the school are drastically changed for the better. Students generally had a significant amount of input in deciding which school to attend. The outdoor and extracurricular activities are influential in persuading students in choosing one school over another

OTHER FINDINGS FROM PARENT SURVEYS The following points are based on parent survey cross tabulations and correlations: –Based on the parent survey, most parents who visited the school were much more interested in the school after their visit. –Parents who visited Wasatch show more improvement their relationships with their children

OTHER FINDINGS FROM PARENT SURVEYS CONT… –Parents who visited Wasatch show more improvement their relationships with their children –The more the child/parent relationship improves, the more likely the parent will be to refer Wasatch to a friend. –Parents of Wasatch students are somewhat price sensitive because it was an important factor in selecting the school to the majority of parents.

RECOMMENDATIONS

TARGET MARKET Focus on college prep and learning strategies The current Wasatch environment already caters to this segment with its: –small class size – individual attention from teachers –the nurturing environment  Trying to serve too many market segments would stretch Wasatch resources and take away from their current strengths.

HOW TO REACH TARGET MARKET Build relationships with as many consultants as possible –Visits, phone calls, s, mailers Concentrate resources on having a stronger presence on the web Encourage students and parents to visit the campus

AREAS OF FOCUS Focus on college prep and learning strategies Keep advertising and focusing on the various activities and sports offered by the school Do not spend large sums of money to change the school to cater toward the performing arts segment

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS Communication with parents –Interactive grade book, newsletter, including them in more activities, returning phone calls and s Food –more fresh food and less greasy food with more nutritional value Facilities –continue to update school buildings and dorms

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS Teacher turnover –do whatever possible to find quality teachers who will be willing to stay at the school for as long as possible Student Screening –be more selective in the students admitted to the school. Admit students that fit the target market.