A new school year deserves a great welcome, and this collection of Finalsite website launches helped schools deliver a new digital experience right as students, families, and staff returned to campus.

This August, schools launched a wide range of sites, and while each took a different approach to UX and storytelling, they all share a focus on helping families get to know the school, find what they need, and take action.

Several schools also increased the impact of their websites with tools such as Finalsite Enrollment and Ask AI, helping families move naturally from exploring a school to asking questions, planning a visit, or beginning the admissions process.

If a school website redesign is on your radar, here are some of the newest school websites to explore for design inspiration.

Sacred Heart Greenwich

Set on more than 100 acres in Connecticut, Sacred Heart Greenwich is an independent Catholic school where academics, leadership, athletics, service, and the Sacred Heart tradition all play an important role in the student experience and in the story the new website tells.

The new website, recently recognized with a Muse Creative award, gives those experiences plenty of room through strong photography, textured backgrounds, and layouts that make larger stories easier to explore. 

On the interior pages, information is well organized with custom tabs that share the school’s mission and history, while the application page breaks the admissions process into a format families can easily work through.

The secondary colors, scripts, and design bring the community spirit and warmth to the forefront, showcased in its slideshow of quotes and profiles from families and notable alumnae (including Margaret Brennan?!)

Take a closer look at:

• The elevated Athletics page that introduces visitors to facilities ranging from squash courts and playing fields to fitness, swimming, and athletic training spaces.
• A beautiful custom map showing the network of Sacred Heart Schools
• The photography and custom slider on Facilities & Training
• Detailed information, well organized for the school’s mission, vision, and history
• The application process, broken down into helpful tabs to share important information

Community School of Naples

“Distinctly you, exceptionally CSN” 

Founded in 1982, Community School of Naples has grown from fewer than just 50 students to a community serving more than 1,000. Its new website captures that impressive growth while keeping the focus on the student experience.

The new site for the Pre-K3–12 college preparatory school gives prospective families several ways to discover the CSN experience, moving through academics, arts, athletics, activities, student stories, college outcomes, and community updates. 

The homepage combines strong visuals, stories, and calls to action, while individual sections give admissions, athletics, and school history their own personality.

“Seahawk Stories” brings even more color to the site, while program highlights, statistics, and the latest matriculation give families useful context as they browse.

The transition from learning about CSN to engaging with its admissions information feels like a natural extension, and the admissions journey is especially smooth. Prospective families can explore the school and then move directly into Finalsite Enrollment to inquire or begin connecting with the admissions team.

Take a closer look at:

• The feature-rich homepage with strong visuals and stories
• The visual timeline on Our Story
• Custom design cards and tabs throughout Admissions pages
• The photography, tabs, and sliders across Athletics

The Regis School of the Sacred Heart

Regis School of the Sacred Heart is an independent Catholic school combining academics with the Sacred Heart tradition.

As Houston’s only all-boys Pre-K3 through eighth-grade school, its website gives that story plenty of personality through custom statistics, vibrant blues and reds, faculty profiles, testimonials, image buttons, and interactive content.

The admission’s FAQ page, the Why Pre-K through Eighth Grade, as well as the “Regis Experience” page are especially effective, connecting the school’s five Sacred Heart goals to the experience families can expect for their sons. 

All that information is great for prospects and very helpful for SEO/AI efforts!

Take a closer look at:

• The custom By the Numbers panel
• The interactive Sacred Heart timeline
• Faculty profiles with custom pop-ups in the directory
• Testimonials throughout Admissions
• Custom image buttons across the Academics section and calls to inquire, visit, and apply stay within easy reach as prospective families explore

As shared by the school, “We are so excited to share our refreshed layout and enhanced navigation with you as we proudly display The Regis Experience and our Sacred Heart identity.”

Nice work!

Key School

Key School in Annapolis, Maryland, uses its website to introduce families to the qualities that shape its life on campus, including inquiry-based learning, small classes, strong student-teacher relationships, and extensive college advising.

The new award-winning website, which was just recognized with a Muse Creative award, balances those messages with storytelling and many proof points, including a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio, an average class size of 16, and impressive college outcomes.

Custom icons, tabs, resource galleries, directories, and filtered content make it easier to explore different parts of the school without making every page feel the same.

Admissions is also easy to reach throughout the experience, with a branded Finalsite Enrollment inquiry experience and ways to schedule a campus visit—very helpful!

Don't miss:

• The custom design elements throughout Admissions pages
• The resource gallery on Mission & History
• The custom Faculty & Staff Directory
• The Inquire & Apply experience

Archbishop Riordan High School

Archbishop Riordan High School is a co-ed Catholic high school in San Francisco with a strong Marianist tradition and a student experience spanning academics, faith, service, athletics, activities, and its House System.

The Bay Area school’s new site pairs that sense of community, mentorship, community, school spirit, and connection across campus with interactive designs and branding at every turn.

A calendar slideout brings events into the homepage experience, while the academics section uses visual elements to introduce programs such as business, biomedical sciences, engineering, college resources, and learning support. 

The redesigned site gives those programs a strong visual presence (love the purple) while adding a lot of interactive features that make content easier to browse.

Take a look at:

• The homepage calendar and slideout experience
• The infographic slider and image buttons throughout Academics
• Visual storytelling used to introduce academic programs
• Custom content across the Athletics experience gives another high-interest area of the site a lovely, branded presentation

Bede’s

Bede’s is an independent day and boarding school in East Sussex, England, serving students from Nursery through Sixth Form. With both coastal and countryside campuses, its broad array of offers includes academics, boarding, athletics, performing arts, outdoor learning, and co-curricular programs.

And yes, it has its own zoo.

That wide-ranging school experience gives the website plenty to work with. Large photography, galleries, custom page layouts, and individual landing pages help Bede’s introduce its different schools and programs while keeping everything connected under one brand.

Even the school’s Finalsite Ask AI chatbot supports the brand: “Finney” gives visitors another way to find answers while they browse.

Take a closer look at:

• The gallery experience on Upper School Entry
• The distinct designs for the Prep School and Upper School
• The Year of Entry Calculator, helping families determine the appropriate point of entry into the school.
• Custom layouts on the Co-Curricular Life page

Nagoya International School

Nagoya International School brings more than six decades of history together with an internationally focused program built around safety, responsibility, belonging, and growth.

Its new website invites users to become part of that experience. It puts student voices and school culture front and center, introducing those values alongside faculty expertise, academic pathways, news, events, and opportunities for students to build confidence and curiosity. 

The design supports that storytelling with textured backgrounds and animated vertical brush strokes that encourage visitors to continue browsing through the page.

Take another look at:

• The storytelling throughout the homepage
• Student and alumni testimonials
• Background textures and subtle page animation
• A pop-out, sticky panel with the latest news and events

There's great branding, and even the school’s Finalsite Ask AI chatbot supports the UX: “Finney” the dolphin gives visitors another way to find answers while they browse.

Legacy Christian Academy

Legacy Christian Academy serves PreK–12 students in Andover, Minnesota, with a mission centered on academics, faith, relationships, service, and preparing students for life after graduation.

Its new website uses those themes of being known, discipled, and prepared, with supporting content around relationships, academics, service, leadership, and life after graduation. 

Imagery, branding, and statistics add context, including a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio and high participation in extracurricular activities.

Custom timelines bring both the admissions process and school history to life, while sliders, social content, and a custom directory give families several ways to get to know the people and experiences behind the school.

Take a closer look at:

• The dynamic homepage with lovely transitions, video, and animations
• The custom timeline explaining the admissions process
• The school history on The Legacy Story
• Custom sliders and social content across Arts & Athletics
• The custom Teachers & Staff Directory, with each profile offering bios and more info about its employees

Charles Wright Academy

Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington, centers its school on active, joyful learning and helping students develop the character, creativity, and skills they'll carry into the future. 

• As students learn and explore across indoor and outdoor spaces, the homepage turns those ideas into an interactive “Portrait of a Tarrier,” introducing visitors to qualities such as thinking, exploring, creating, connecting, and contributing. 
   
• The site gives visitors plenty to interact with, including school statistics and a custom campus map.
   
• Sliders and employee directory pop-ups add more visual interest without getting in the way of the information families came to find.

When families are ready to raise their hands, the website connects directly with Finalsite Enrollment, creating a smooth path from discovering more about CWA to submitting an inquiry.

Check out:

• The custom map and By the Numbers content on the homepage
• The slider on the About CWA to showcase the "Portrait of a Tarrier"
• Custom pop-ups in the Employee Directory
• The integrated inquiry experience

Germantown Academy

Germantown Academy approached its redesign with prospective families in mind, creating a website that gives visitors a sense of the traditions, relationships, academics, and school spirit that make up the GA experience. And with its history going back to 1759 as the oldest nonsectarian day school in the US, there’s a lot of history and spirit to share.

The school’s own launch message described the site as an invitation to discover what it feels like to be a Patriot, and its homepage builds around the idea of helping students “become your best self,” using visual storytelling to connect that purpose with curiosity, confidence, compassion, and character.

(And Bradley Cooper '93.)

Take a closer look at:

• The “Become Your Best Self,” "GA Voices," and “Uniquely GA” sections on the homepage
• Custom tabs throughout Admissions help break a multi-part process into manageable pieces, and an interactive Campus Map helps prospective families become familiar with GA before they arrive
• Centered main navigation with bright, engaging photography
• Custom gallery to browse areas of support on its giving/support GA page

Jeannine Manuel School

This top-ranked, bilingual international French school for students in London serves some 700 students representing dozens and dozens of nationalities. Its educational mission focuses on international understanding, bilingual learning, and a multicultural school community.

The site reflects that international identity through bold photography and an energetic visual style, while separate pathways help families explore different age groups and areas of school life.

“Think, Dare, Share & Care,” greets visitors to Jeannine Manuel School’s new site before offering options to branch out to its three divisions. The homepage does a great job of explaining its approach to bilingual education, with a distinct directional arrow weaving through its mission, differentiators, and life at school.

There’s a lot to explore for current parents, and just as much for families researching from farther away to get a better feel for campus through virtual tours.

Take a look at:

• The visual storytelling on the homepage
• Custom buttons throughout Academics
• The Virtual Campus Tour

Congrats to all the launches this August— best of luck with the start of the academic year!