Sometimes, the best sources of inspiration for schools planning a redesign can come from a college, community site, or a school across the world. That's often where you can find examples of new content, layouts, and storytelling ideas you may not have considered, and suddenly, a burst of creativity comes through.

This latest batch of website launches includes just that, so let's take a closer look at the messaging, user experiences, and web design from Finalsite!

Albright College

Albright College’s newest website design does a great job balancing aspiration with the logistical information people need to take action.

The homepage opens with a video hero, paired with the line “Be the spark. Fuel your future.” Direct calls-to-action sit alongside it, so visitors can apply, schedule a visit, or give back to the college with just a click.

Right after that opening moment, Albright moves into outcome-focused proof points, and instead of burying those key stats on an interior page, the site puts them up front, including 94% job placement and 50+ majors and programs, among many others.

It's a helpful reminder that prospective families often want confirmation before they're ready to explore the story behind the numbers.

More to explore:

• The “Explore Our Programs” section is well-designed for browsing. Programs appear in a consistent layout with a short overview and a “Read More” option, which makes it easy to compare concentrations like Artificial Intelligence, Biology, Business Administration, and others.
   
• A section focused on “Leading with Heart and Purpose” shifts the story from academics to community, supported by strong visuals and an “Explore Campus Life” pathway. (Perfect for a visitor starting to picture themselves on campus.)
   
• Near the bottom, the site pulls in timely updates through news and an events feed (“What’s Happening on Campus”), so repeat visitors have a reason to return.

Takeaways you can borrow for your next website redesign

• Put outcomes early, then support them with people and details
• Make programs or academic exploration scannable, with consistent layouts
• Create a clear path from “learn” to “do” (visit, apply, contact)
• Keep the homepage active with news and events modules

Congrats to Albright on a site that's modern, easy to navigate, and built to support storytelling.

Rowland Hall

Rowland Hall's new site leads with energy and clarity, and from the first scroll, you get a strong sense of how students learn, what the school values, and where to click next, which is exactly what a strong site should do.

The homepage opens with a nice video treatment and the “Learn. Think. Do.” motif, paired with messaging that frames learning as active and applied. It’s a quick way to communicate an approach, and not only a collection of programs.

Brand and visual system

The design leans into a rich green palette and brings in the school’s winged lion as part of the identity system. It feels consistent across pages, which strengthens recognition as visitors move from academics to admission to stories.

A few visual choices that stand out:

• Image treatments with rounded corners and subtle shadows that help photos “lift” away from the background
• Full-width panels that break content into clean, readable sections
• Motion moments (fade-ins, sliders, video) are used to add pace without distracting from content

Stories are treated like a key section

Rowland Hall brings storytelling forward through a dedicated Stories flyout panel with “Most Recent” and “Editor’s Picks.” That’s a smart move for the user experience because it gives visitors an easy way to sample campus life, student work, and recent updates without hunting down the news page.

Admission content that guides families step by step

A few features on the admission side are especially helpful for a benchmark:

• A step-by-step admission process page that lays out what to expect in a simple sequence (inquiry, connect, tour, apply, tuition assistance, and more).
• An interactive virtual tour is self-guided and flexible, so families can explore at their own pace.
• That same “Start Your Story” call-to-action language appears across the experience, tying brand voice to conversion points without feeling pushy.

A history timeline that adds depth to the “About” experience

Don’t miss the About page timeline as a key storytelling feature, connecting the school’s 150+ year history to the present-day mission and priorities.

The launch is a strong balance of brand, usability, and storytelling, while keeping key actions visible for families ready to engage.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s new site works like a hub-and-spoke system: it's one connected story, built for many audiences. The Temple site sets the tone, then visitors can move naturally into the schools and camps based on where they are in their journey or need.

The Temple homepage communicates a welcoming, inclusive community rooted in Jewish tradition. It's organized around big themes that guide the scroll, including the values of discovery, growth, and life—simple phrases that work so well to welcome returning users and first-time visitors.

The Temple spotlights its multiple Los Angeles locations, and when you move into the school experience, the tone stays consistent: warm, student-centered, and community-forward.

The content structure also does a nice job balancing heart and proof with big-picture statements about student growth and community, then specifics like programs, experiences, and campus life are organized into digestible sections.

The camp site naturally shifts into a camp mindset: prominent “Register” and “Tour” actions, along with content that emphasizes values and community. It reads like a camp experience while still feeling part of the same family of sites.

Design ideas worth borrowing

• Homepage storytelling that guides visitors through a narrative
• Belonging as a content strategy, repeated consistently across sites (Temple, schools, camps)
• Audience-specific calls-to-action (membership and services vs. tours and enrollment vs. camp registration)
• A network navigation model that helps people move between Temple, schools, and camps without feeling lost

The Frederick Gunn School

The Frederick Gunn School’s refreshed website features a narrative-led experience that builds momentum with the throughline, “Be a force,” and carries that message across its video, storytelling, and conversion points. The result feels spirited and confident, making it an impressive example of great boarding school website design.

The hero section uses video to set the tone and invite visitors into the “Highlander Journey,” then reinforces that promise with bold, motivating copy (challenge & growth). It gives prospective families a fast read on school culture before they ever touch the navigation.

Students, faculty, and alumni do the explaining

Gunn puts community voice front and center through video testimonials and short story moments. On the homepage, visitors can hear from students, faculty, and alumni in a scroll-friendly format.

The “Why Gunn” section keeps that approach going with a series of student quotes and videos, framed around specific moments and experiences like academics, confidence, and community. It’s a smart model for storytelling because it feels human and specific.

There’s a lot more to explore:

• Animated stats support the narrative with proof points, including 150+ academic courses, 80% boarding students, and more than $120M raised in a recent capital campaign
• The Admissions Process page spells out the next steps in a straightforward sequence, starting with inquiry, then moving into a campus tour and interview. It also points visitors to a virtual option for exploring programs and student videos.
• An interactive Campus Map experience, built for quick scanning on mobile.
• Student publications include the school’s podcast (a nice layer of ongoing storytelling).

One more interaction boost: an AI chatbot

Frederick Gunn’s also using Finalsite’s AI chatbot, branded as “Ask Fred,” to help visitors find answers across admissions, boarding life, athletics, academics, and more. That kind of guided discovery is a big win for the user experience and finding answers faster.

San Francisco University High School

San Francisco University High School’s website leans into its tagline, “Many Voices, One University,” with an energetic opening video montage. Students sometimes look straight into the camera, which breaks the fourth wall to add personality and supports the message that this is a community where individual perspectives matter within a shared experience.

Brand and design that pops

The visual system is unapologetically vibrant, with bright reds that carry through typography, calls to action, and headline treatments. It’s a strong example of using branded color and type to create an experience, not merely to decorate.

Storytelling that’s built around student life

A testimonial slideshow brings student profiles to life with glimpses of classwork, campus traditions, athletics, arts, and everyday moments that help prospective families connect the academic program to the lived experience.

San Francisco as a character in the story

• Full-width panels spotlight the city’s landmarks and skyline, reinforcing the idea that location shapes the student experience. It’s a smart move for storytelling because it answers an unspoken question fast: “What does it feel like to go to school here?”
   
• And the School News section makes it easy to keep up with what’s happening on campus.

Admissions storytelling

• Check out On The Courtyard, an admissions blog written through student perspectives to add detail and warmth to the application journey.
   
• For visitors who want the basics quickly, the school keeps key information close at hand, including admissions timing and school updates. The Admissions Timeline & Events page gives families a clear, time-based view of next steps.

The Cottonwood School

The Cottonwood School’s new website leads with a message rooted in choice and growth, and the design reinforces it from the first scroll. The tree logo, the subtle leaf patterns in the background, and the photography of the Sierra foothills all work together to reflect a school that’s connected to place and focused on helping learners thrive.

As a tuition-free public charter school, Cottonwood uses the homepage to quickly explain its learning paths: dynamic homeschooling programs for TK–12 and a Montessori-inspired hybrid high school program at its El Dorado Hills campus.

Cottonwood’s homepage opens with a mission centered on personalized learning plans that build confident, self-directed learners, then moves into sections that explain the school’s divisions and program options.

As visitors scroll, testimonial slideshows and fast facts cards help answer a core question families often have: “Why do people choose this school?” and those elements pair well with enrollment-focused content that points to options across the homeschool program and the hybrid high school experience.

Cottonwood also uses the site as a hub for ongoing support, with resources such as calendars, a lending library, instructional materials, school spirit, and family support content. Activities and community connection are there as well, reinforcing that families can engage in many ways, not only through academics.

The centered navigation keeps the main pathways easy to spot, with direct access to enrollment options, accountability, and academics. For visitors who want to move even faster, the keyword search at the top adds quick links to high-interest pages like careers, event calendars, community partner information, and FAQs.

Check out

• Growth-forward brand details (tree & leaf motifs) used throughout the homepage
• Centered navigation that keeps key sections easy to find
• Keyword search with quick links
• Testimonial slideshow & fast facts content cards

Congratulations to Cottonwood and all the other schools on their site launches with Finalsite!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. At Finalsite, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.