A 100-point framework for school websites.

1. 01

   Accessibility

   Can every parent, student, and staff member actually use this site?

   20pts

   WCAG 2.2 AA is the legal floor for public-facing school communication under ADA Title II/III and Section 504. We score against the floor, not vibes.

   1. Keyboard navigation

      4pts
      • Every interactive element reachable by tab
      • Visible focus indicator on every focusable element
      • No keyboard traps in menus, modals, or carousels

   2. Screen reader support

      4pts
      • Landmarks present (header, nav, main, footer)
      • Images have meaningful or empty alt text
      • ARIA used to fix semantics, not decorate

   3. Color contrast

      3pts
      • Body text ≥ 4.5:1 against background
      • Large text and UI ≥ 3:1
      • Brand colors hold contrast on every surface they appear on

   4. Forms

      3pts
      • Every input has a programmatic label
      • Errors announced and tied to the field
      • Autocomplete attributes set on personal data fields

   5. Mobile accessibility

      3pts
      • Touch targets ≥ 44×44px
      • No horizontal scroll at 320px width
      • Pinch-zoom not disabled in viewport meta

   6. Headings & semantic structure

      3pts
      • One h1 per page, in source order
      • Heading levels descend without skipping
      • Lists, tables, and quotes use the right element
2. 02

   Technical SEO

   Can Google understand this school well enough to rank it where families search?

   20pts

   A school can be the best in the district and still be invisible to a parent searching "charter school in Gilbert." Technical SEO is the part Google reads before any human does.

   1. Titles & meta descriptions

      3pts
      • Every page has a unique, intent-matched title (≤ 60 chars)
      • Meta descriptions written, not auto-generated (≤ 155 chars)
      • Open Graph / Twitter cards set for social sharing

   2. Indexability

      3pts
      • robots.txt present and not blocking content pages
      • sitemap.xml current and submitted to Search Console
      • No accidental noindex on production

   3. Structured data (schema.org)

      4pts
      • EducationalOrganization or School schema on home
      • Breadcrumb schema on nested pages
      • Event schema on tours, open houses, deadlines
      • FAQ schema where Q&A content lives

   4. Internal linking & architecture

      3pts
      • Every page reachable in ≤ 3 clicks from home
      • No orphan pages
      • Anchor text descriptive — never "click here"

   5. Core Web Vitals

      4pts
      • LCP < 2.5s on mobile (75th percentile)
      • CLS < 0.1
      • INP < 200ms

   6. Mobile-first indexing

      3pts
      • Responsive at 320px through 1440px+
      • Viewport meta set correctly
      • Mobile content parity with desktop
3. 03

   Mobile parent journey

   Can a busy parent on a phone find what they need in under 30 seconds?

   15pts

   Most school inquiries start on a phone, between two other things. If the answer to "what grades, how much, when can I tour" is more than two taps away, the parent leaves.

   1. Tuition & cost

      3pts
      • Tuition findable in ≤ 2 taps from home
      • Financial aid policy linked from the same page
      • Charter / public schools clearly state "tuition-free"

   2. Grades served

      2pts
      • Visible above the fold on home
      • Per-campus breakdown for multi-campus schools

   3. Tour & visit info

      3pts
      • Dedicated tour page or section
      • Specific dates or scheduling tool, not "contact us"
      • What to expect on the tour described

   4. Enrollment process

      3pts
      • Numbered or visual steps
      • Current cycle dates and deadlines visible
      • Waitlist policy explained if applicable

   5. Academic calendar

      2pts
      • Current year calendar accessible on mobile
      • Major dates (start, breaks, end) called out

   6. Contact & visit logistics

      2pts
      • Tap-to-call phone number on every page
      • Address linked to maps
      • Office hours stated
4. 04

   Conversion UX

   Is it obvious what a parent should do next?

   15pts

   Inquiry, tour, application, call. Schools usually have all four somewhere — but they rarely point at them clearly, repeat them across pages, or measure which one starts the relationship.

   1. Primary CTA clarity

      3pts
      • One primary action per page
      • Same CTA wording repeated across the site
      • CTA visible without scrolling on home

   2. Inquiry form quality

      4pts
      • ≤ 5 fields on the first ask
      • Single column, mobile-friendly
      • Confirmation page or message after submit
      • Honeypot or other anti-spam measure

   3. Tour booking

      3pts
      • Dedicated path (not buried in contact)
      • Calendly, Acuity, or in-house scheduler
      • Confirmation email with what to bring

   4. Application start

      3pts
      • Reachable from home in ≤ 2 clicks
      • Pre-application requirements listed
      • SIS hand-off works without re-entering data

   5. Trust adjacent to action

      2pts
      • Testimonial, outcome, or proof near every CTA
      • No CTAs surrounded by stock photography only
5. 05

   Tracking & analytics

   Does the school actually know what is producing inquiries?

   15pts

   Most schools have Google Analytics installed and almost no one reads it. Worse, "form submit" rarely fires correctly. If you can't attribute an inquiry to a source, you can't spend on the next one.

   1. Analytics installed correctly

      3pts
      • GA4 (or PostHog / Plausible / Fathom) loading on every page
      • Configured in Google Tag Manager, not hand-rolled
      • Server-side or first-party fallback for ad blockers

   2. Conversion events

      4pts
      • Form submit fires a conversion event
      • Tap-to-call tracked
      • Tour booking and application start tracked
      • Events visible in GA4 / PostHog within 24 hours

   3. UTM hygiene

      3pts
      • UTM params survive form submission into the CRM
      • Default attribution model documented
      • Paid campaigns tagged consistently

   4. Goals & funnels

      3pts
      • Funnel from landing → inquiry → tour → application defined
      • Drop-off rates visible per step
      • Not just pageviews — outcome metrics tracked

   5. Reporting cadence

      2pts
      • Someone reviews data weekly or monthly
      • A simple dashboard exists (not just raw GA4)
6. 06

   Content structure

   Is the site organized the way parents actually search and decide?

   10pts

   Schools often organize their site the way the org chart looks. Parents search for "tuition," "grades," "schedule a tour" — not "Office of Admissions Communications."

   1. Information architecture

      3pts
      • Clear top-level sections: Programs, Admissions, Parents, About, Contact
      • No more than 7 items in the primary nav
      • Multi-campus schools clearly disambiguate per campus

   2. Page-per-decision

      2pts
      • Major decisions (tour, apply, tuition) have their own URL
      • Not crammed into a single "Admissions" one-pager

   3. Search-intent URLs

      2pts
      • URLs match how parents search: /tuition, /enrollment, /tour
      • No CMS-generated URLs like /page-id-2847

   4. Plain language

      2pts
      • Internal jargon ("open enrollment," "lottery," "504") explained on first use
      • Reading level appropriate for parents, not staff

   5. Freshness signals

      1pts
      • Dates visible on news, events, calendars
      • Old years removed or clearly archived
7. 07

   Trust signals

   Why should a family trust this school over the alternatives down the road?

   5pts

   Trust closes the gap between "interested" and "scheduled a tour." Most school sites under-show outcomes, leadership, and real student life — the things parents actually weigh.

   1. Outcomes data

      1pts
      • Graduation rate, college acceptance, test data, or growth metrics shown
      • Honest about what the school is and isn't known for

   2. Leadership & staff visibility

      1pts
      • Photos and bios of head of school, principal, deans
      • Faculty pages credible (not stock photos)

   3. Parent & student voices

      1pts
      • Real testimonials with names and grade levels
      • Video preferred over text where possible

   4. Accreditation & recognition

      1pts
      • Accreditation badges with links to the issuing body
      • Awards and rankings cited with source and year

   5. Community proof

      1pts
      • Real photos of real students, classrooms, events
      • Recent — not all from the 2019 photo shoot

See where your school site scores against the framework — written report, prioritized register, and a 60-minute walkthrough.