For Michigan school leaders, Count Day is one of the most consequential days on the calendar.

That’s because student enrollment on Count Day directly drives state funding for the entire year. Every student counted contributes to essential resources for classrooms, programs, staffing, transportation, and student supports, and each student not counted is revenue left behind.

With Michigan’s overall student population declining over recent years, maximizing enrollment ahead of Count Day has never been more critical or competitive.

Here’s the key: Count Day success starts long before the official date.

The Enrollment Challenge: Get More Students Before Count Day

Traditional enrollment work often waits until registration or paperwork is due. But when families are researching schools, comparing options, and making decisions weeks or months ahead of Count Day, districts need to be where families are and ready to engage them early and consistently.

That’s where digital advertising and strategic recruitment practices create a real advantage:

1. Bring More Families Into Your Pipeline

Digital ads help you meet prospective families early, whether they’re searching for options in your area, comparing schools, or exploring new programs. Ads can drive:

• More inquiries from families still deciding where to enroll
• Increased awareness of your individual schools’ programs and offerings
• Higher attendance at open houses, tours, and enrollment fairs

This early touch is critical: the more families who begin the enrollment journey, the more you can convert before Count Day arrives.

2. Keep Families Engaged With SchoolMint’s Recruitment Capabilities

But bringing families into your enrollment funnel is only half the battle. The other half is keeping them engaged through to enrollment.

SchoolMint Enroll + Recruitment gives districts a purpose-built CRM and engagement engine that lets the central office:

• Track every inquiry from first contact through enrollment
• Send automated personalized follow-ups by email (whether individual or en masse) and SMS
• Remind families about deadlines, documents, or next steps
• Prioritize follow-up based on interest or intent
• Measure which activities are working to engage families (and, conversely, which activities you should stop investing in)

Instead of spreadsheets, email tracking, and scattered sticky note reminders spread across teams, your recruitment workflows become centralized, data-driven, and action-oriented — meaning you get more students across the finish line before Count Day.

3. Hit Your Enrollment Goals

Count Day is a financial milestone. Because Michigan’s funding formulas allocate the majority of school aid based on that day’s official count, the work you do now directly impacts your budget for the year.

Here’s how the right strategy delivers results:

• More visibility into your enrollment funnel so you know how many students are in each stage
• Faster response to inquiries so families don’t lose interest or choose other options
• Automated engagement so no lead gets forgotten, even as staff stay focused on high-touch relationships
• Better forecasting so you can anticipate Count Day results and adjust outreach before it’s too late

Digital Ads + SchoolMint Recruitment for Michigan Schools

What makes this approach powerful isn’t just awareness or automation. It’s the way digital ads and recruitment workflows work together:

• Ads fuel the top of your funnel with more qualified leads
• Recruitment captures and nurtures them toward completed enrollment
• Data and automation optimize outreach so your team focuses on high-impact actions
• Enrollment goals are met ahead of Count Day, protecting funding and growing your school community

SchoolMint Enroll isn’t just a system for registering students; it’s a strategic engine that helps districts get more students, follow up efficiently, and close enrollments before Count Day.

Learn more about SchoolMint Enroll, our digital ads, and Recruitment at our main website.