9 Common Christian School Website Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Before prospective families visit your campus, call your office, or meet your principal, they visit your website. And if that first impression goes south, they may never take the next step.

I’ve audited quite a few Christian school websites and keep coming across the same mistakes. Here’s what I’m seeing, and more importantly, what you can do differently.

Mistake #1: Talking About You Instead of Them

Schools like to kick things off with the information that matters to them.

• Their mission statement
• How long they’ve been open
• How many students are enrolled
• The number of acres they own
• The test scores their students get

While these facts have their place, schools often focus too heavily and too quickly on demonstrating institutional success, while overlooking parents’ primary concern: their child’s success.

The Fix:

Write about them, not you. Start with their struggles and concerns, their hopes and dreams. This may feel unnatural at first, but pretty soon you’ll wonder how you ever did it differently.

Mistake #2. Listing What You Do Instead of Who Students Become

A head of school friend captured this problem perfectly: “Christian school websites often read like they were written by an outsider who observed the school for a day and documented what they saw.”

• “We have a robust art program.”
• “Students take Spanish classes twice a week.”
• “Our campus boasts a state-of-the-art science lab.”

Just like in mistake #1, this may be accurate information, but it’s not what parents want.

Parents don’t pay for your art program. They pay for their child to become an artist, to expand their appreciation for beauty, to develop a deeper understanding of culture.

They don’t pay for your high school apologetics class. They pay for their student to become rooted in Truth and equipped to defend their faith in college and beyond.

The Fix:

Instead of listing programs, describe outcomes:

• “Your child will discover their creative voice in art class.”
• “Through daily Spanish instruction, students gain confidence communicating across culture.s”
• “Our hands-on science curriculum turns curious kids into critical thinkers who ask ‘why?’ and ‘what if?'”

Shift from what you offer to who students become because of it.

3. Breezing Past Your Christian Identity

This one may shock you. It consistently shocks me.

Christian schools have one thing no other school can compete with: an emphasis on and ability to disciple students for Christ. Faith formation. Christian character development.

And yet, most Christian school websites treat this differentiator like just another checkbox.

Sure, there are references to Jesus and the Bible in the mission statement. Maybe a theme verse on the homepage. Probably mentions of “Christian curriculum” and “Christ-centered education.”

But all of this pales in comparison to the pages and paragraphs given to academics, athletics, arts, or even field trips.

We’ve taken the main thing and made it a minor thing.

This does your school—and your prospective mission-fit families—a great disservice.

The Fix:

Make it unmistakably clear that you’re serious about Jesus.

Say more about:

• Your chapel program
• Biblical integration across subjects
• Service opportunities and mission trips
• Your teachers as Christian role models
• How Christian character shapes athletics, academics, and community

Answer this question loud and clear: “Are you serious about Jesus?” If parents can’t find that answer within seconds, you’re losing right-fit families.

Mistake #4. Writing Too Little (Because You Think “Shorter is Better”)

You’ve heard the advice: “Keep it short. Nobody reads anymore.” So you strip down your content to bare-bones bullet points, thinking less is more.

Here’s my hot take: There’s no such thing as “too long.” There’s only “too boring.”

The Fix:

Stop obsessing over word count. Start obsessing over whether every sentence moves prospective families closer to enrollment.

Cut the filler, then write as much as you need to connect with the right families and overcome their objections.

Can you take this advice too far? Absolutely. But nine times out of ten, the issue isn’t length—it’s boring content that doesn’t serve your audience.

Mistake #5. Trying to Serve Two Masters

I often see Christian schools giving precious homepage space to:

• Next week’s lunch menu
• The upcoming parent-teacher conference schedule
• A reminder about early dismissal on Friday
• The link to this week’s chapel video

If your website was primarily intended to serve current families, that’d make sense.

If it was designed to equally serve current and future families, you’d still get a pass.

But it’s not. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

The Fix:

Your website’s primary pages should be entirely focused on future families.

Current family content—lunch menus, school supply lists, attendance forms, internal announcements—belongs on a separate page or, better yet, a password-protected parent portal.

Keep your main navigation clean and prospect-focused. Serve your current families through dedicated channels that don’t clutter the experience for families still deciding if your school is right for them.

Mistake #6. Wasting Your “Above the Fold” Space

The top of your homepage is prime real estate. And many schools waste it on:

• Mission statements
• “Welcome to [School Name]” greetings
  • (This one truly pains me.)
• Generic taglines that could apply to any school
• Carousels that try to communicate multiple messages

The Fix:

Use this space to answer the most critical questions immediately:

• What do you offer?
• Why should I care?
• What should I do next?

We call this the “Grunt Test,” and every Christian school website should pass it.

Include a high-quality image or video depicting school life, a clear call-to-action button, and words that paint a picture of success for prospective families.

Be intentional with the first impression. Dive straight into what parents need to hear.

Mistake #7. Weak or Missing Calls-to-Action

If you want parents to take action, you have to call them to action. But what action do you call them to?

• “Learn More” (Too weak!)
• “Apply Now” (Too soon!)
• “Donate” (Waaaay too soon!)

If you’re feeling a bit like Goldilocks, take heart. There are some calls to action that are “just right.”

The Fix:

Leverage low-friction, enrollment-focused CTAs to guide families to the next logical step. Here are some suggestion that we’ve seen work very well.

• “Schedule a Visit”
• “Meet the Principal”
• “Request More Information”

Beyond adding brightly-colored call-to-action buttons on the home page, make your contact information unmistakably obvious on every page. Parents should never be left wondering, where do I go from here?

Mistake #8. Listing Tuition Before Selling the Value

Here’s something to consider: What if your tuition page were the first website page a prospective parent visited? For some, it will be.

I’ve written more in-depth about conversation-optimized tuition pages, but for now let’s just say it’s a problem if…

• Visitors get sticker shock
• Your tuition rate communicates that you’re too expensive (or too cheap)
• Parents know what it costs without being told why it’s worth the cost
• A reasonable reader could walk away thinking Christian education is an expense, not an investment
• Parent believe, even for a moment, that every family pays the sticker price for tuition

The Fix:

Before you list any prices, sell the value of the education and experience you provide.

Include:

• An overview of what makes your school worth the investment
• Parent and alumni testimonials
• Financial aid information presented first

Intentionally reframe the conversation.

Mistake #9. Under-Leveraging Testimonials

It’s rare that I come across a Christian school website that has no testimonials. Usually, they end up in a testimonial carousel on the homepage. Two or three quotes from happy parents.

And that’s it.

Here’s the reality: People care far more about what others say about you than what you say about yourself. And you’re wasting that social proof by limiting it to one page.

The Fix:

Sprinkle testimonials throughout your entire website—not just the homepage.

Strategic placement matters:

• Academics pages: Include a parent talking about how their child grew academically
• Admissions page: Feature a family describing how they child felt welcomed from day
• Tuition page: Share a testimonial from a parent who says the sacrifice was worth it
• Athletics pages: Include a student-athlete talking about character development

Anywhere parents are getting serious or preparing to make a decision, there should be a testimonial close by reinforcing that this is the right choice.

Bonus: Include photos of the families giving testimonials whenever possible. It makes the praise feel real, not manufactured.

Your Next Step

Your website isn’t just a digital brochure. It’s your 24/7 enrollment team. When it’s strategically built, it attracts right-fit families, answers their questions, and guides them toward enrollment.

When it’s broken? It pushes them away.

Take a hard look at your website today. Which of these mistakes are you making? Start with one—just one—and fix it this week.

Or, if you want an expert to audit your entire site and give you a prioritized action plan, request our free Christian school website audit here. I’ll personally review your site and send you a custom report with specific recommendations.

Because your school is doing great work. Let’s make sure your website reflects that.