SchoolMint Blog

Growing Enrollment: Lessons from Highwood Hills Elementary on Reversing the Trend

Written by Alyson Keenze-Wells | Mar 10, 2025 1:00:00 PM

In today’s school choice landscape, families have more options than ever: charter schools, neighboring district schools, private schools, magnet programs, online academies, and homeschooling. This means schools in a given area are all vying for the same limited pool of students.

For many schools, this increasing competition has led to declining enrollment, forcing leaders to close schools — or to completely rethink how they attract and retain families.

The challenge isn’t just about being a great school; it’s about making sure families know why your school is the right choice.

But how do you do turn around enrollment when, year after year, it’s been dropping, your school is in danger of closure, and nothing seems to be working?

That’s exactly what Highwood Hills Elementary had to figure out. But instead of accepting the trend, Principal Dr. Fatima Lawson took action — and now she’s sharing how she and her team turned around the trend.

Sign up for our on-demand webinar to hear firsthand from Dr. Lawson, a recipient of the 2024 National Distinguished Principal Award, as she walks through the strategy that saved Highwood Hills from closure.

How Highwood Hills Turned Declining Enrollment into Growth

Dr. Lawson knew that reversing the student enrollment decline meant more than just outreach.

To make a long-term change, Highwood Hills required a fundamental shift in how the school connected with families.

By listening to the community, reimagining her school’s focus, and trying new promotional strategies for the school, Highwood Hills has transformed into a school that families don’t just choose but champion.

What You’ll Learn

In this on-demand webinar, you’ll learn how Dr. Lawson and the hard-working staff of Highwood Hills (and, more broadly, Saint Paul Public Schools) achieved incredible results:

  • Enrollment grew by 45+ students for the 2024–2025 school year
  • Highwood Hills added two new classes for 2025–2026
  • Community engagement skyrocketed with record-breaking attendance at events
  • The school rebranded as a polytechnic program, directly shaped by feedback from the three primary family demographics (Somali, Karen, and Hispanic families) of their community

Sign up for the on-demand recording (available via Zoom) below to learn from Dr. Lawson’s success in transforming Highwood Hills into a thriving polytechnic school!