What a way to start the new year! January saw several impressive new sites go live—dozens of beautiful theme designs, as well as detailed custom website designs—each one representing a significant step forward in how school districts connect with their communities.
These sites are where families can discover the various programs each district offers, feel more connected to their child's education, and engage with the school community. Beyond the practical benefits, these sites also serve a big role in demonstrating a district's commitment to its families and its relationships with the extended community.
Let’s recap these recent launches and explore what makes each site special.
Germantown Municipal School District
Germantown Municipal School District's new website is live, and it's a breath of fresh air! From the moment you land on the homepage, you're drawn into an engaging experience with the district's motivating tagline, "Inspiring Personal Excellence."
A dynamic horizontal scroll of images gives you a vibrant snapshot of the activities, programs, and opportunities awaiting students, faculty, and families throughout the district. It's all controlled by your scroll, so it pulls you deeper into the heart of Germantown's school community—very engaging!
That leads into a short video montage, and as you move down the page, current news headlines showcase the district's impressive achievements as a top workplace, its student accomplishments, and you can even catch a glimpse of exciting events like the band's performances and the spring musical, Mean Girls (that's so fetch.)
Highlighting Achievements and Priorities
It's clear that there's a lot happening in Germantown! Eye-catching vertical panels highlight the district's key priorities, from early literacy and career pathways to the focus on school safety, as each panel leads to more in-depth information.
Showcasing the Community
"Germantown Stories" offers a more personal touch, with short videos spotlighting the personalities and achievements of the students and staff within the community—a great chance to connect with the people who bring Germantown's schools to life. A "Fast Facts" section presents key data points about college and career readiness stats and athletic accomplishments through creative student cutouts.
Of course, a prominent events calendar ensures that families never miss out on the action. Student testimonials from proud graduates and seamless social media integration complete the supporting content on the homepage.
Navigating and Exploring
The website's brilliance extends beyond the homepage, with the "Community" page as a valuable resource to showcase the many ways students, parents, businesses, and alumni can connect and engage with the district.
The dedicated "Students" hub provides easy access to essential information, from grading details and school activity listings to dress code guidelines and technology use policies. Everything is organized intuitively with user-friendly panels, making it a breeze for students to find what they need.
Design and Visual Appeal
The site design itself feels like a testament to Germantown's brand identity. The striking red, black, and white color scheme is used consistently throughout the website, creating a cohesive visual experience. A subtle animation on the call-to-action buttons is a nice touch, while the well-organized main menu, accessed via the "hamburger" icon, makes navigation easy. The amount of high-quality images, especially in sections like "Departments" and "About," captures all the positive energy and enthusiasm that‘s throughout Germantown's schools.
Congrats on the launch of a site that’s clean, modern, visually appealing, and easy to use!
Not only does it effectively tell the district's story, but it also provides valuable information for families and the entire community—well done!
Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools (BPS), serving nearly 50,000 students across 119 schools and employing over 11,000 people, has launched its new website, a significant undertaking that reflects the district's wide-reaching impact throughout the city.
The homepage features improved navigation and several valuable new additions, including enhanced language translation capabilities and a comprehensive news hub where visitors can stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in the district and its individual schools, from student and staff achievements to important announcements.
As shared by the district, the website's design was informed by analytics from the district's previous site and now focuses on what families search for most often.
"Our new website reflects our commitment to transparency, accessibility, and engagement with our community,” shared Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “We want everyone to feel connected to our schools and to have easy access to important information and resources."
BPS Chief of Communications Chris McKinnon added, “We designed our new website with our students, families, and staff top of mind. Our goal was to make the new website a hub of important information that is easier to navigate and find the information you are looking for. There are also exciting things happening across our district every day and this new website provides us with an opportunity to share that work and our students’ successes with a broad audience.”
Key Features and Improvements Include
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Recognizing the importance of accessibility while on the go, the site is optimized for use on all devices, ensuring families can easily find information wherever they are.
- Improved Navigation: Intuitive menus and a streamlined layout make it simple for users to locate the information they need quickly.
- Accessibility Enhancements: BPS has made a strong commitment to inclusivity by incorporating features through AudioEye, like high-contrast options, improved screen reader capabilities, and increased page legibility, ensuring the site is usable for everyone.
- Interactive Calendar: Keeping families and staff informed about important district and school activities is a priority, and the interactive calendar, which syncs with its SIS, provides up-to-date event listings in a convenient format.
- Dynamic Homepage: The homepage is designed to showcase notable upcoming events, highlight recent news stories, and provide quick access to essential information for families, with content being updated regularly to keep the community informed.
BPS' site clearly communicates the district's commitment to key priorities, including academic performance, social-emotional learning, student safety, and strong family and community relationships. That's further emphasized in the family resources section, which offers information on a range of topics, such as immigration guidance, alternative education options, and available family and community programs. Visitors can also find a detailed profile of the superintendent, outlining her vision and focus on these important district priorities. Beautiful site!
Congratulations to Germantown MSD, BPS, and all the other sites that went live with Finalsite in January!
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. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, 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.