New Report Reveals Shifting Priorities of School Communications--and the Challenges Holding Districts Back

Finalsite's 2027 District Communications Report reveals how schools are measuring success differently, where families still encounter barriers and how AI is reshaping family engagement.

GLASTONBURY, Conn., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Finalsite, a K–12 Family Experience Platform serving more than 50,000 schools worldwide, today published its 2027 District Communications Report. The national study examines how public school communications priorities, practices and challenges are evolving today.

Compared with Finalsite's 2025 report, the findings reveal that the role of school communications is rapidly expanding beyond simply delivering messages to center on driving meaningful outcomes for schools and families. But as families' expectations grow, the challenges districts face continue to keep pace.

Three key findings emerged:

1. Districts are increasingly measuring communications by real-world outcomes across the full family journey. The percentage of districts tracking student and family retention more than doubled since 2025, while conversion tracking increased from 17.7% to 24.5%. These findings suggest districts are looking beyond traditional engagement metrics to better understand how communications influence enrollment, retention and overall school success.
2. Families still struggle to complete everyday school tasks. More than two-thirds (67.1%) of respondents say families very often or sometimes need staff assistance with forms, payments and registrations. More than half (52.2%) identify separate systems and multiple logins as obstacles. Language barriers compound the problem: while 70.4% of districts say they always translate emergency alerts, only 21.4% consistently translate payment-related messages.
3. AI is becoming standard practice, but policies are lagging. Nearly 87% of district communications teams use AI for tasks like drafting emails, editing content and creating social media posts. Yet just 21.7% have formal written AI guidelines, despite widespread concerns about accuracy, overreliance and public trust.

"School communications is so much more than sending messages," said Jim Calabrese, CEO of Finalsite. "It's the foundation for building trust with families, making it easier for them to engage with their schools, access information and take action. This research shows encouraging progress in how districts measure success, and it also shows there's still a long way to go to overcome the barriers that continue to create unnecessary work for families and staff."

Explore the Full Findings

Finalsite will host a free webinar on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET, featuring district communications leaders and Finalsite strategists discussing the research and practical ways schools can strengthen family engagement, reduce communication barriers and measure meaningful outcomes.

Register for the webinar to hear more about the findings and what they mean for school districts.

About Finalsite
Finalsite is a K–12 Family Experience Platform serving more than 50,000 schools worldwide, making school easier for families and simpler for school teams to manage.

From the first website visit to enrollment, communications and payments, Finalsite connects the interactions that shape a family's relationship with their school. By bringing together essential tools, data and workflows, Finalsite helps schools and districts reduce administrative complexity, personalize communications and strengthen enrollment and retention—giving staff more time to serve students and families.

Finalsite is headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut with employees across the U.S. and internationally in Canada, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.finalsite.com.

Media Contact
Jon Kannenberg
[email protected]

SOURCE Finalsite