How You Can Start Your Own School

If you’re here, you must have an interest in starting a private school. Unfortunately, many people in your shoes never get to take that first step. Fear of the unknown and potential challenges ahead make them give up before they even begin.

This article simplifies the entire process on How to start a school in a no-fluff way so you can see the key steps to starting a school and what to expect at every stage.

Planning Phase

1. Decide on your niche

Who do you want to teach? How? These are questions you must answer before you can proceed further. Other questions that can help you decide what direction your school will move include:

• What types of students will you teach?
• What grade levels will you target?
• How many students can you handle?
• What is your unique selling factor?
  
  

1. Create a business plan

When you have answered the key questions about your school type and students it’s time to begin planning. The best way to do this is by writing everything down in a business plan. Create a 5-year business plan that covers all aspects of your school’s operations including:

• Financials, including funding
• Marketing
• Class curriculum
• Staffing needs
• Future development
• Annual assessments

This is an important step that will let you see whether to proceed with your school and reveal potential problems before they occur. It also allows you to create your school’s mission, vision, and philosophy statements

1. Secure a location

When you’re certain you have a concrete plan, it’s time to find a location for your school. This can be a tricky step as most states require that you have certain permits to run a school. Also, other factors like the number of classrooms, class size, and available funding can influence the location you decide on.

Establishment Phase

1. Hire staff

With the foundation in place, it’s time to engage staff members who can help you bring your vision to life. This is another crucial step as your employees can either make or break your school. Before you proceed, you should know how many teachers (and non-teaching staff) you need and the duration of employment.

2. Promote your school

You should begin promoting your school at least 6 months before you start taking admissions. Popular ways of doing this include:

• Online marketing
• Social media
• Distribute fliers
• Radio placements
• Collaborate with other schools
• Use local media/newspapers

Timing is everything as you’ll want to sync your date of resumption with traditional school year schedules. This means that you can begin promotions while putting the finishing touches to your school.

3. Open your door

It’s time to begin receiving students, make sure your student onboarding process, apps, and materials are set up and ready to go. Some on-boarding necessities include:

• Student welcome package
• Parent handbooks
• Tuition documentation
• Payment processing
• Teacher handbooks

The goal is to create a good first impression as most parents will be resistant to the idea of trying out a new school. However, they’ll be more welcoming to the ide if it looks like you know what you’re doing.

Are you ready to begin this journey? Let’s hear your ideas here: jgudith1@gmail.com