Memphis Firm Deploys Canvassers to Help Districts Combat Nationwide Enrollment Declines

Caissa K12, a Memphis-based firm that began in political campaigns, now works with school districts to recruit and retain students as public school enrollment declines nationwide. The company reports it has partnered with more than 100 districts in 27 states, including systems in Memphis, Orlando and Newark.

Brian Stephens, president of Caissa K12, says the firm started locally and gradually expanded its student recruitment services over the past decade. "We kind of focused on locally first and started expanding in this area. So we haven't quite got to the rescue ship, but we've gotten a lot more calls lately," he said.

How the recruitment program works

Caissa K12 places canvassers throughout a district to speak directly with parents, share information about schools' programs and highlight extracurricular and academic offerings. The outreach is designed to present factual information about what a district offers so families can make informed choices about where to enroll their children.

"All we hear about is how bad public schools are, because it's easy to attack them. ... So what we do is actually just present the facts. We say this school district's got 186 extracurricular activities. They've done really well here and if you love those things about that school, then pick it," Stephens said.

Expansion and the role of school choice

Stephens says Caissa K12 is expanding from the East Coast toward the West, with some work in Arizona and New Mexico and initial talks in California. He attributes rising demand to the growing prevalence of school choice policies and other alternatives that give families more options than their neighborhood zoned school.

Several states have broadened school choice programs in recent years. Arizona’s $800 million universal school choice program, which provides families roughly $7,000 per child to spend on education, has been pointed to as an example of a policy that accelerated families moving away from district schools; Tucson Unified School District reportedly faced significant enrollment and funding losses after the program's rollout, with reported shortfalls cited at about $20 million.

In addition to vouchers and choice programs, homeschooling rose during and after the coronavirus pandemic, and charter schools continue to attract families. Stephens says those shifts have led districts to adopt active outreach and retention strategies to protect enrollment—and the funding that follows students.

Federal-level actions in recent years have also encouraged school choice options, including expansion of tax-credit scholarship mechanisms that allow individuals to support scholarship programs within states. Stephens argues the competitive environment has pushed districts to improve their outreach and program offerings: "I think school choice has really taught everyone that they need to improve their game."

As districts face mounting pressure to retain students, firms such as Caissa K12 illustrate how some systems are turning to professional recruitment and community outreach to communicate strengths, boost enrollment and stabilize finances.