The Client
The Gillispie School is an independent private school. In education, the "customer" makes one of the most researched decisions a family ever makes — and tuition means a single enrollment is worth years of revenue.
Why Is Google Ads Hard for Private Schools?
- Families research for months across rankings sites, review platforms, and school directories before ever contacting a school.
- "School" queries are dominated by public school info, rankings lists, and childcare searches.
- The catchment area is tight — an inquiry from the wrong side of town is a wasted click.
- Enrollment season concentrates decisions into a narrow window that campaigns must be ready for.
What Did We Do Differently?
- Targeted admission- and tour-intent queries from families inside a realistic drive-time radius.
- Kept the average click at just $0.26 through precise match types and constant query hygiene.
- Tracked calls, tour requests, and inquiry forms to their keywords so budget followed real admissions interest.
- Weighted spend into enrollment-decision season rather than pacing evenly through the year.
What Results Did The Gillispie School Get From Google Ads?
| Metric | Verified Result |
|---|---|
| Enrollment inquiries | 2,802 |
| Cost per inquiry | $11.61 |
| Ad spend | $33K |
| Clicks | 127,377 |
| Impressions | 6.1M |
| Average CPC | $0.26 |
Key Takeaways
- 2,802 inquiries at $11.61 each — when one enrollment is worth years of tuition, the return math is overwhelming.
- A $0.26 average click put the school in front of families 127,000 times for the cost of a modest annual budget.
- Independent schools don't need to outrank the directories — they need to own the admissions-intent searches.
How Much Should a Private School Spend on Google Ads?
This school invested $33K over the life of the account and received 2,802 tracked enrollment inquiries — $11.61 each. A single enrolled student typically returns that entire annual budget several times over in tuition. The right budget is sized to fill open seats; this account shows what admissions demand costs when the targeting is disciplined.
About This Campaign
All figures are lifetime totals pulled directly from the Google Ads account. Inquiries include tracked calls, tour requests, and admission form submissions.