At the 2026 Magnet Schools of America (MSA) Conference, one thing came through clearly in session rooms, booth conversations, and hallway chats alike: magnet schools are operating in a new era of school choice.
Families have more options, competition is increasing, and for district leaders, the challenge of increasing magnet school enrollment now goes beyond simply offering a strong program. It also means building awareness, clearly communicating value, reducing friction for families, and connecting outreach efforts to real enrollment outcomes.
That theme shaped SchoolMint’s time at MSA this year, from our booth conversations to our two sessions on magnet school marketing and magnets as a driver of enrollment growth.
Here are the biggest takeaways we left with.
1. A strong magnet school enrollment strategy starts with prioritizing student recruitment.
One of the clearest themes at MSA26 was that student recruitment is no longer something districts and magnet schools can afford to treat as a short seasonal push.
At SchoolMint’s pre-conference session, Magnet School Marketing Lab: Bring Your Challenge, Leave with a Plan, SchoolMint’s Chief Evangelist, Matt Coats, led a hands-on workshop designed to help magnet leaders:
- Identify what makes their programs compelling
- Diagnose common marketing barriers
- Leave with practical next steps for increasing awareness and interest.
The session was built around a simple idea: families cannot choose what they do not know about.
That same idea came up in other sessions, too.
One of SchoolMint’s enrollment experts, Mallory Juneau, attended MSA’s session, Filling Seats: Real Talk About Magnet Recruitment Challenges and Strategies.
“It strongly reinforced the work we do at SchoolMint,” she says. “I guided school and district leaders through identifying their primary recruitment barriers, defining their enrollment goals, and brainstorming actionable strategies to better attract and engage families.” In this collaborative session, participants documented their ideas and then rotated around the room to learn from other groups.
“While goals and high-level strategies were largely consistent across districts, the specific barriers and tactics varied based on factors like program theme, grade levels served, and geographic location,” she adds. “This highlighted the importance of flexible, tailored solutions when it comes to student recruitment.”
After participating in multiple group discussions during that session, Mallory’s biggest advice for magnet schools and districts is this:
- Define what makes your magnet school or program distinct
- Understand what families value
- Build a stronger digital presence for your magnet school(s)
- Show up consistently in the community
- Remove barriers to enrollment, like lack of transportation and lack of awareness
- Treat student recruitment and enrollment marketing as a year-round effort
2. Clarity matters more than ever for families.
Another takeaway from the week: families don’t necessarily need more information. Instead, they need clearer information.
In the session Attention all School Choice Shoppers: Defying the Odds, Marquelle Middleton, Director of School Choice and Enrollment at New Haven Public Schools, explored how confusing choice systems can unintentionally create anxiety, misinformation, and missed opportunities for families.
In one example, district leaders shared how a complex assignment process had caused families to misunderstand their odds, misstate their preferences, and overlook options that may have been a strong fit.
What stood out wasn’t just the problem but also the response. Leaders described efforts to simplify the lottery approach, centralize program information, improve school content, create better virtual tools, and help families make more informed decisions.
When families are comparing more schools, in more places, with more pressure, with less time, clarity becomes part of the enrollment strategy. If the process is confusing, the information is inconsistent, or the value of the program is not clear, districts risk losing families before they ever apply.
3. Districts want better visibility into what’s actually working to increase magnet school enrollment.
One of the strongest moments from SchoolMint’s session, Magnets as a Growth Engine: A Fireside Chat with Metro Nashville, came when Jonathan Wren, Magnet Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, spoke directly to a challenge many districts are trying to solve right now: how to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
As Jon explains in the clip above, districts need a better way to connect marketing efforts to trackable data so they can understand what is actually working, what is not, and where resources should go.
That point echoed throughout MSA26. Districts are investing real time and already-limited budgets into student recruitment, but many still struggle to connect those efforts to measurable results. More and more, leaders want better visibility into which outreach activities are truly driving family engagement and, ultimately, enrollment in their magnet schools and programs.
4. Magnet programs are increasingly being viewed as an enrollment growth engine.
SchoolMint’s session with Metro Nashville was designed around a question many district leaders are asking right now: what role can magnet programs play in helping districts attract and retain students as school choice expands? That was the purpose of the session from the start, and it clearly resonated.
The discussion with Jon reinforced that magnets are not just specialized offerings within a district. In many places, they are becoming a bigger part of the district’s enrollment strategy.
That shift matters, because it changes how boards and district leaders think about program awareness and differentiation, the family experience, and resource allocation.
5. The magnet community is thinking strategically, not just tactically.
One of the most encouraging things about MSA26 was how strategic the conversations felt. Yes, attendees discussed marketing tactics, virtual tours, advertising, and community outreach with us.
But underneath those conversations were bigger questions:
- How do we sustain magnet demand?
- How do we better serve families as school choice increases?
- How do we use data to make smarter decisions?
- How do we ensure strong programs continue to thrive?
That is what the “new era of school choice” really means: magnet leaders and districts being called to think beyond individual tactics and take a more strategic role in building demand, communicating value, and helping their schools grow enrollment in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Grateful for the Conversations at MSA26
We’re grateful to everyone who stopped by the SchoolMint booth, joined one of our sessions, or shared what they’re seeing in their districts and magnet schools. The conversations we had throughout the week were candid, thoughtful, and grounded in the real challenges of increasing magnet school awareness and enrollment.
That’s part of what made MSA26 so meaningful. The focus was not on abstract ideas, but on the practical work of helping strong programs stand out, connect with families, and grow.
We were especially glad to spend time with our many partners in attendance, including Dr. Magda Pereira of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Rita Rathbone of Durham Public Schools, and Janet Farquhar of New London Public Schools.
We were also excited to celebrate Ellen Cruz of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (image below), the winner of our booth’s Cajun gift basket giveaway!
Keep the Conversation Going
Want to see how SchoolMint can help your magnet schools stay top of mind with families and turn interest into real student enrollment growth? Let’s talk.
Schedule a personalized demo with one of our enrollment experts.
