With the school year well underway, we’re taking a closer look at the latest site launches and exploring how school districts are using their new websites to better connect with families, share their stories, and support daily communications.

In this month's roundup, we’re highlighting a few of those experiences that help families find answers faster and allow each district to tell a stronger story.

October brought several standout launches from districts across the country, each with its own approach to design, content, and user experience. You’ll notice a few common themes across these projects, though: clear navigation, branded visuals, accessible page structures, and clever uses of news, calendars, and social content.

It’s exciting to see these sites go live and show what’s possible when great design meets the needs of users—find your inspiration below! 

Blue Valley Unified School District 229

Blue Valley USD 229's district site puts families first with a modern design, clear branding, and intuitive navigation. From the start, a hero slideshow and short video montage highlight student learning and staff excellence, while testimonials and a brief message from the superintendent reinforce the district’s mission.

The homepage guides visitors to some of the most important resources, while a large calendar previews upcoming events, and a fast facts panel adds more credibility with the number of languages spoken, academic highlights, and some impressive student successes.

More highlights include:

• A full-width “Happening Now” stream brings news and social posts together, so families see activity across its schools without the need to hunt for it (or even be on social media to see the content).
   
• The Employment page's testimonials and proof points attract new talent, and the Bond pages, in particular, provide clear summaries of the investments in facilities, learning, and the district's future goals.
   
• Families can browse the Middle School and High School Course Guides, featuring custom Post grids and filters for Family Resources and Programs, to quickly find what they need.
   
• The “Cultivating Blue Valley” section links mission and values to the student experience and communities, while the “Why Blue Valley Schools” section is complete with points on mentorship, continuous learning, employee well-being, and leadership opportunities. Wonderful job!

Elizabeth Public Schools

Leading with the tagline “Every Child Achieving Excellence,” Elizabeth Public Schools—New Jersey’s second-largest district with 28,000+ students across 37 schools—is celebrating a site that’s easy to navigate and built to scale.

Families can find answers faster, staff can publish with confidence, and the district can tell a consistent story with content that focuses on outcomes.

Storytelling and content work side by side: 

• The homepage opens with a left-panel social feed, streamlined navigation, and a built-in site search feature.
   
• District news and community announcements are integrated into upcoming events and branded calendars.
   
• A full-width map celebrates the district’s global and community pride, and fast facts highlight its scale and momentum—37 schools, 4,300+ team members, and a forward-looking approach that positions students for success.
   
• The new mega menu consolidates each section, and the familiar quick-access icons and keyword search make hopping around the site easy.
   
• A horizontal program showcase combines teaching and learning, social-emotional wellness, and workforce development into one easy-to-scan view, while the homepage focuses on outcomes with the tagline “College Prepared. Career Ready,” featuring an impressive matriculation carousel.

More helpful features include:

• An A–Z Students & Families directory lists key resources, and a Community page aggregates flyers and updates for families and local partners.
   
• The News Hub is thorough and well-organized, combining district stories, "Excellence" features, press releases, announcements, and an “In Case You Missed It” roundup; everything to keep families updated.

It’s a solid model for districts looking to improve access, recruitment, and ongoing communications. Congrats on the launch!

Madera Unified School District

Guided by the vision of “setting the standard for hard work, creativity, and resiliency with a fearless drive to continuously improve,” California's Madera Unified School District serves 20,000 students and 2,000 hard-working employees.

• MUSD’s new site pairs bright, engaging imagery with clear pathways for families. Shared layouts, consistent typography, and storytelling come through in taglines and photography that show students and teachers learning together.
   
• Families can move quickly from the homepage to what they need: mobile-friendly icons link to bell schedules, school calendars, registration, athletics, student handbooks, and more.
   
• A Graduate Profile frames what success looks like in school, career, and life, supported by the district’s values of communication, contribution, and collaboration, among others.
   
• Clear headings, consistent navigation labels, and campus-level pages organized in familiar layouts support searches for district enrollment information and individual school resources.

It's a web presence that looks aligned, reads with confidence, and makes it easier for families and staff to stay connected. Congratulations on the launch!

Norfolk Public Schools

Norfolk Public Schools’ new website brings clarity, access, and district pride to the forefront. It’s a clean and crisp layout that starts with quick links to the information that families and staff use most frequently, including meals and nutrition, safety and security, the school board, careers, and athletics.

These are paired with animated fast facts that serve as proof points of student success and impact, including a 1:1 student-to-device ratio, high percentages of honor graduates, and an impressive $63 million in scholarships awarded.

The site’s intuitive and includes:

• Omni-menus and organized dropdowns offer specific sections for parents, students, staff, and community members. 
• Visitors can quickly access resources for volunteering, partnerships, or day-to-day tools like calendars, handbooks, and announcements. 
• Division-wide events and updates are well-organized, starting with key district-wide happenings, followed by a clear view of upcoming dates. 
• News stories spotlight student achievements, athletics, and more.

Plus, a dedicated strategic plan section provides more insight into the district’s goals across areas like student excellence, equity, and resource management. Specialty programs are also featured, with content around offerings at five high schools and six middle schools. The site also integrates live Instagram content, capturing both user-generated and official posts—very handy for keeping the homepage updated automatically.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Norfolk Public Schools (Virginia) (@npschools_va)

And speaking of Instagram content, kudos to the district for building excitement on social media in the days leading up to the site’s debut. Congrats on the launch!
 

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.