EMA Publishes 2023 State of the Independent School Industry (SOTI) Report with Mission & Data

The Enrollment Management Association (EMA) recently launched The 2023 State of the Independent School Industry Report (SOTI). Since 2021, Mission & Data has served as EMA’s strategic data partner. SOTI is EMA’s flagship research project providing a snapshot of the independent school enrollment management industry approximately every three years. Mission & Data partnered with EMA on SOTI 2023’s updated survey design, enhanced analysis, report, and new interactive dashboards.

In launching the report, EMA’s Executive Director and CEO Heather Hoerle shared, “The Enrollment Management Association (EMA) is excited to release The 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report (SOTI), our fourth report taking an in-depth look at industry issues within the United States and Canada and how trends have changed (or not) from our previous SOTI reports. As our member community is well aware, the independent school landscape has evolved in ways we never imagined when we released our last ‘State of the Industry’ report in 2019. Despite strong disruptive headwinds in recent years, our newest SOTI Report reveals many positive trends as we continue to build our professional capacity and orient our schools towards a strategic view of the work of enrollment management.”

Hoerle noted in her opening letter, “It’s obvious, now more than ever, that EMA’s motto rings true: ‘admission practices of the past will not sustain independent schools of the future.’”

As a major enhancement, the 2023 SOTI included an interactive dashboard developed by Mission & Data allowing EMA members to gain a deeper understanding by drilling into data and filtering by cohorts. The dashboard also provides two predictive models, one related to compensation for the most senior enrollment leader in each school and the other related to staff headcount of enrollment offices.