A new school year brings plenty of reasons for families to visit their district website: checking calendars, lunch menus, finding athletic information, back-to-school resources, and looking up how to change their kid's homeroom...

For the districts below, families returned to something new this August: a redesigned digital experience built to welcome, engage, inform, and make that information and so much more easier to find.

These recent Finalsite launches show how thoughtful design, content, and user experience can work together across a district website.

Take a look at some of the new district websites that caught our attention and a few design and content ideas worth exploring for your own school website redesign.

Troup County Schools

Serving more than 12,000 students with 1,800+ staff members, Troup County Schools in Georgia has a lot of stories to tell and plenty to celebrate, including a graduation rate that has reached a record high in recent years.

Its new website gives the space to celebrate students, graduates, employees, programs, and accomplishments while keeping the information families use most within easy reach—quick links for enrollment, lunch menus, employment, the strategic plan, and other frequently visited resources.

News and announcements bring together updates from across the district, while a By the Numbers section connects stats with the district’s commitment to educating all students through creative and innovative strategies.

The storytelling continues with dedicated features for alumni, Career, Technical & Agricultural Education, and fine arts, giving families a broader look at the experiences available across Troup County Schools.

Take a closer look at:

• Finalsite Ask AI chatbot, branded as Ask Troop, which gives families another convenient way to search for information across the district website
   
• The Experience Troup County Schools section highlighting alumni, career and technical education, and fine arts
   
• The individual school websites, which carry the district’s main navigation and design system while giving each school room for its own colors, content, and school spirit.
  • For example, Callaway High School keeps district resources close at hand while introducing visitors to its own academics, athletics, activities, and “Cavalier Stories.”

It’s a good example of how a district website can create a consistent experience across many schools while still making space for the people, programs, and accomplishments that give each community its personality.

Congrats to TCS on the launch!

Farmington Municipal Schools

Farmington Municipal Schools in New Mexico welcomes families with a website that’s active, colorful, and very student-focused. A full-width video opens the homepage, followed by stories that introduce visitors to some of the experiences available across FMS, from dual language immersion and award-winning music programs to career and technical education.

“You Belong at FMS” appears in English, Spanish, and Diné, while the district highlights dual language programs offered in both Diné and Spanish at four elementary schools.

Farther down the homepage, video and student-focused content put career preparation in the spotlight. Families can explore programs in aviation, welding, film, automotive technology, health occupations, culinary arts, agriculture, fashion, business, work-based learning, and several other pathways.

The content gives students themselves a role in showing what these programs can lead to and the confidence they’re building along the way.

Take a look at:

• The News & Social section, which brings district news and the latest Instagram content into the same experience
   
• The extensive Career & Technical Education section, where video helps introduce programs ranging from aviation and welding to health occupations, culinary arts, and teacher education
   
• The pop-down Announcements & Events experience, which puts district updates, upcoming calendar dates, and access to individual schools within easy reach
   
• The expanded navigation for academics, athletics, jobs, employees, menus, calendars, family resources, language and culture, and college and career readiness
   
• The branding throughout the site, with cyan backgrounds, bright button treatments, and secondary colors adding personality to different content sections

It’s a colorful, welcoming launch that gives students plenty of reasons to see themselves at FMS.

Mount Vernon City School District

Home of the Knights, Mount Vernon City School District in New York has launched a redesigned website that celebrates student achievements and programs in early learning, literacy, and the district’s athletics traditions.

As the district shared, “We've redesigned the Mount Vernon City School District site with cleaner navigation, more photos, and other improvements to make it easier for students, families, staff, and our community to find the information they need.”

The homepage mixes district resources with stories that give families a sense of what’s happening across Mount Vernon’s schools. There’s also plenty of helpful context for families getting to know the district, including:

• "The Billboard," which keeps important district notices, registration information, health reminders, and upcoming dates in a prominent spot on the homepage
   
• The Board of Education page, where families can find profiles, meeting information, agendas and minutes, videos, and ways to contact board members
   
• The Family & Community Engagement resources, which connect families with parent workshops, liaisons, engagement programs, policies, and other ways to take part in their children’s education
   
• One-click website translation powered by Weglot, giving families access to district content in Spanish, Portuguese, and many additional languages.

The combination of quick access, multilingual support, district news, and student-focused content makes this a welcoming new digital home for the Knights.

School District of Janesville

The School District of Janesville brings plenty of character and school spirit to its new website. Branded colors, logos, gradients, and custom design elements carry throughout the experience, and the homepage gets right to work with quick links for enrollment, Infinite Campus, menus, calendars, employment, the staff directory, athletics, and more.

The main navigation organizes a much larger collection of district resources, along with easy access to Janesville’s 20+ school communities.

A custom fast facts section adds another branded touch while sharing some impressive district highlights. The district also uses its news and events section to keep student and staff accomplishments alongside upcoming dates and district updates.

Take a closer look at:

• The Highlights and Upcoming Events section, which brings district news and calendar content together on the homepage
   
• Quick links for enrollment, menus, calendars, employment, athletics, and other frequently used resources
   
• The main navigation as you scroll. A subtle animation tucks it back into the corner, a nice design detail that smooths out the UX
   
• Interior-page touches such as styled testimonial quotes, branded headers, and accordions that help break larger amounts of information into easier sections
   
• The Families section, which brings together enrollment, handbooks, health information, school forms, and information about the district
   
• The footer, where a flowing, wavy element brings the district colors back into the design and gives the bottom as much attention as the top

This is a great example of a district site that doesn’t need an oversized homepage to make an impression. Color, movement, custom content elements, and thoughtful little design touches give a fairly streamlined site plenty of energy, while families and staff can still get to the resources they use most with only a few clicks.

White Bear Lake Area Schools

White Bear Lake Area Schools comes out strong with its district message, “Courageously Building the Future.” Serving nearly 9,000 PreK–12 students across communities in the White Bear Lake, Minnesota area, the district carries that idea throughout a homepage filled with student photography, academic opportunities, community stories, and plenty of Bear pride.

Inset photos and branded messages like Go Inspire, Go Succeed, Go Explore, and Go Perform introduce students doing exactly that across the district. Follow the paw prints down the page, and you’ll find academic highlights covering career pathways, college-level courses, Spanish dual immersion, and other opportunities.

News, calendar events, and social media updates keep the homepage fresh, while branded colors, paw-print dividers, statistics, and other small design details give the site plenty of personality.

Take a closer look at:

• The News section, which organizes district stories in one searchable location
   
• The Back to School hub, where families can find first-day schedules, safety information, attendance reminders, district communication details, and other start-of-year resources in one online destination.
   
  • Side note: Publishing this content as a web resource, and not a PDF, makes it searchable, accessible, and easier to update as information changes.
     
• The Strategic Plan & Mission page, which brings together the district’s objectives, strategies, presentations, and individual school strategic plans. The page also shows how students, guardians, staff, and community members have contributed to the planning process.

There’s a lot packed into this site, but the organization keeps the experience approachable. The district combines a strong brand with resources for families, and those signature paw prints keep the Bears’ identity running through the entire experience.

Congratulations to all the districts on their new sites!
 

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.