What would you like to search for?

Marketing leadership

that equips K-12 independent and faith-based schools to pursue healthy enrollment™

How healthy is your school’s enrollment?

Take our free diagnostic and find out.

How healthy is your school’s enrollment?

Take our free diagnostic and find out.

Effective school marketing starts with belief—and refusing to settle for the status quo.

But good intentions, word-of-mouth, and random acts of marketing won’t produce sustainable results. You need a cohesive, proactive strategy to attract and retain right-fit families™ — and the expertise to make it happen.

Whether your school is operating from a position of strength or teetering on the tipping point, Tassel can help. Our proven process will challenge your thinking, clarify the win, and position your school to connect with right-fit families. And we’ll start by focusing on a simple but critical question: “What does your school need from marketing in this season?”

How we think.

It’s easy to confuse activity with accomplishment. Tassel’s Healthy Enrollment™ Model helps school leaders develop a prioritized plan for effective recruitment and retention.

A family’s pain points, priorities, and aspirations change as their child grows and develops. Age-and-Stage® thinking aligns your marketing and admissions strategies with what families are solving for in each season.

Awareness > Consideration > Decision > Evaluation > Advocacy. These are the five phases of the Family Journey™. And they have massive implications for your enrollment strategy.

Who is your school for? It’s a fundamental question many schools assume they’ve answered. But assumptions can be costly. Getting clear on your definition of a right-fit family™ is like the ounce of prevention that saves a pound of cure.

“Our team participated in the Positioning Workshop with Tassel. The experience far exceeded our expectations. While we were aware of certain gaps in our messaging, branding, and positioning, Tassel’s thorough analysis and insights went far beyond what we had anticipated. Their attention to detail and strategic recommendations were both enlightening and transformative. Throughout the process, we felt as though we were their sole client, receiving a level of attention and care that was truly exceptional.”

Heather Sadler, Director of Admissions, The Woodlands Christian Academy

“Tassel helped us rebrand and redesign our website, and currently manages our digital marketing efforts. They keep very detailed metrics on digital marketing efforts, and as of our last meeting with them we’ve spent approximately $30K on digital marketing efforts and generated approximately $106K in tuition revenue, a return on investment of approximately $76K!”

Megan Baedke, Director of Community Engagement Sioux Falls Lutheran School

“Before, I felt like we were flying blind in terms of using data effectively, particularly with SEO and targeted ad spend. Tassel gave us guidance and direction to empower us to make intelligent decisions for the money we were spending and how we were measuring success.”

Pat Manahan, Director of Advancement, The Tatnall School

“Our school is up 3% this year, a huge win for us, and we owe a lot of that success to Tassel, the team’s guidance, and ideas shared in our cohort of Collaborative Conversations.”

Kelly Breasbois, Director of Admissions & Marketing, Nouvel Catholic Central

“The Tassel team was professional and collaborative, and each member was dedicated to helping us develop a website that aligned with our school’s mission and vision. The outcome was a beautifully designed, user-friendly tool that provides prospective families with valuable insights into Cherry Hills Christian School.”

Kelly Jelniker, Director of Communications & Marketing, Cherry Hills Christian School

“Tassel understood the private school market better than a general agency would. From the questions they asked us to the steps they guided us through, it was obvious they were experienced not only with the private school industry, but our needs as a Christian school. They understood our mission.”

Deborah de Oliveira, Director of Development, Twin Tiers Christian Academy

Tassel Schools

See our Lookbook

What’s in a name?

North Star Marketing is now Tassel™. Learn more.

Healthy eNrollment™ Blog

4 Ways Your Marketing & Enrollment Team Can Create Clarity for Faculty

Written by Sarah Sams

4 Ways Your Marketing & Enrollment Team Can Create Clarity for Faculty Empowered Enrollment Team If you’ve ever heard a teacher ask, “How did this kid end up in my class?” — you’re not alone. Miscommunication or lack of clarity between marketing, enrollment, and school staff happens at most schools. And that confusion? It impacts…

Read

Top Motivations Families Have When Searching for the Right School

Written by Sarah Sams

Top Motivations Families Have When Searching for the Right School Engaged Right-Fit Families When families begin their school search, they’re rarely looking for one thing. As a marketing and admissions professional, you know this well. Families who come through your doors are typically asking questions that reflect multiple priorities — top academic programs and athletic…

Read

AI in School Marketing: How to Lead With Empathy and Hospitality

Written by Rudi Gesch, Sarah Sams

AI in School Marketing: How to Lead With Empathy and Hospitality Engaged Right-Fit Families Imagine you’re a parent beginning the school search for your child. It might be that you recently moved, or that your child’s current school isn’t meeting your needs. Shopping for schools isn’t something you do often, and the thought of researching…

Read

See Our Curated

Healthy Enrollment™ Resources

The Uncomfortable Commitment to Healthy Enrollment
Download Now
The Pursuit of Healthy Enrollment
Download Now
Full Enrollment?
Download Now
Guide to Rolling Out a New School Brand
Download Now