Most classical schools build their websites for one audience: prospective parents. And that makes sense. Parents are typically the ones scheduling tours, comparing curriculum, and making enrollment decisions.

But there’s another group quietly influencing those decisions—and often funding them. Grandparents.

Ignore them, and you miss a powerful ally. Design for them, and you create a site that doesn’t just recruit students—it builds a multigenerational community around your school’s mission.

Why Grandparents Matter More Than You Think

It’s easy to assume that grandparents are too far removed to care about your school website. But the data—and lived experience—say otherwise:

• Many families rely on grandparents to cover full or partial tuition
• In multi-generational households, grandparents often guide educational decisions
• Grandparents are uniquely moved by the values of classical education: tradition, beauty, legacy, virtue
• They’re the ones most likely to share your school’s mission with others

If your site isn’t speaking to them, it’s not speaking to a major part of your enrollment and donor base. Worse, it’s missing a key opportunity to strengthen family formation.

What Grandparents Want to See

Grandparents don’t need to understand every curricular detail. They’re not looking for academic rubrics or MAP scores. They’re looking for evidence that their grandchildren are flourishing—spiritually, relationally, and intellectually.

Here’s what tends to resonate most with them:

• Traditions and school culture: Feasts, festivals, ceremonies, house systems, school plays
• Virtue and formation: How students are growing in character, not just academics
• Beauty and joy: Student art, music, recitation, worship, and delight in learning
• Personal connection: Opportunities to hear from or support their grandchildren’s experiences

If you’ve already embraced strategies like capturing virtues in action through blog storytelling, then you’re halfway there. The next step is surfacing that content in a way that’s accessible, emotional, and welcoming to older generations.

Where to Include Grandparent-Focused Content

You don’t need a dedicated “Grandparents” tab—but you do need to integrate their interests into your core structure. Here’s how:

1. Feature School Traditions Prominently

Grandparents love to see the beauty and rhythm of the year: Advent celebrations, Shakespeare performances, class feasts, All Saints Day processions. Don’t relegate these to an events calendar. Create a section (or blog series) that showcases your school’s seasonal life with photos and short reflections.

These kinds of moments also reinforce your broader marketing plan for classical schools—they provide living proof of your stated values.

2. Include Student Letters or Testimonials

Few things move a grandparent more than seeing their grandchild’s handwriting or reading a quote like, “At school, I learned how to be brave by studying St. George.”

Consider embedding a section on your blog or resource page where students write brief reflections or letters—either to their families, to alumni, or about their favorite virtue they’ve practiced. Keep it short, authentic, and handwritten or scanned when possible. This makes your school feel personal and rooted.

3. Make Donor Language More Personal

If grandparents are helping cover tuition, they’re not just paying bills—they’re investing in legacy. Use that language. Build in soft donor messaging that speaks to impact and formation across generations.

Even if you don’t yet have a formal giving program, seeding this idea early—via a “Why We Give” section or a brief note from a grandparent—plants the seed for future support. One school we worked with added a single grandparent quote to their homepage and saw it lead to three unexpected donation inquiries within the quarter.

Design Principles That Serve Grandparents

It’s not just what you say—it’s how it feels. Grandparents are less likely to fight through broken links, complicated navigation, or tiny text. Build for clarity and warmth.

• Use readable fonts: Avoid ultra-light greys or trendy typefaces
• Simplify navigation: Make it easy to get to your school’s story, traditions, and student highlights
• Add alt text and captions: Help users understand photos, especially if they’re not digital natives
• Make your blog browsable: If you’ve got stories of formation or beauty, organize them by topic or audience

If you’ve already upgraded your parent portal into a marketing tool, consider creating a parallel “grandparent peek” view—a public-facing space that shares school life without requiring a login.

Turn Grandparents Into Vocal Allies

Here’s the real opportunity: when grandparents feel invited, included, and inspired, they don’t just stay silent. They share your school with their friends, their church groups, and their extended networks. They forward your newsletter. They talk to their adult children. They become vocal allies for your mission.

And in a culture that often dismisses classical education as “impractical,” these voices carry weight. They provide a generational bridge—affirming that what your school teaches is not new or trendy, but timeless and true.

The Hidden Enrollment Funnel No One Talks About

We’ve seen it time and again: a family finds your school not through SEO or ads—but because a grandmother forwarded a link. Because a grandfather visited a school play and cried. Because someone outside the immediate household saw what you’re doing and knew it was worth everything.

Your website doesn’t need to be loud about this. It just needs to be clear, warm, and filled with moments that matter to more than just moms and dads.

Build for the Whole Family, Not Just the Front Row

Classical education forms whole communities. Whole families. And your digital presence should reflect that. When you build a website for grandparents, you’re not just gaining more site traffic. You’re gaining advocates. Donors. Prayer partners. And most importantly—believers in the story you’re telling.

Need Help Bringing This to Life?

We help classical schools build websites that form trust, signal beauty, and serve multigenerational audiences. If you’re ready to create a digital experience that speaks to the full circle of influence—including grandparents—let’s talk.