Every school has an enrollment funnel, but most are only managing half of it. And the half they're missing is getting harder to reach.
Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted. Today's parents research schools the way they shop for everything else: anonymously, on their own timeline, completing most of their decision-making before ever identifying themselves. Yet most schools still require a full inquiry form just to enter the process. For a growing number of families, that ask is too much, too soon. The traditional inquiry is dying.
This session introduces the Two-Funnel Framework, a model that separates the research funnel from the enrollment funnel, and explains why treating them as one creates blind spots in visibility, measurement, and strategy.

The research funnel is where families quietly browse and compare schools on their own terms, often invisibly. The enrollment funnel begins once a family makes direct contact. Most schools only see the second, missing the earlier interactions that shaped the decision entirely.

Niche will open with market-level data on what families are actually doing before they ever contact a school, and how the gap between family interest and inquiry volume is growing.  We will then show how schools can connect these funnels in practice — through lighter-weight lead capture, CRM integration, and smarter pipeline management.