School Enrollment Initiative

In June 2021 East Los Angeles College hired North Star Alliances to lead a community outreach campaign that focused on engaging prospective students, a SMS/text message campaign, and the placement of over 100 billboards in key communities. The goal was to raise awareness about the college’s offerings, including its programs and supportive resources, in an effort to boost enrollment after many students dropped out at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

East LA College is the largest college in the Los Angeles Community College District, with 14 communities in its primary service area. As a result, NSA understood that developing a nuanced, strategic approach was necessary to effectively outreach to prospective students in such a wide geographical region. Key tactics from NSA’s strategy included:

• Individuals who had some level of a previous experience with East LA College – reconnected and re-engaged them. 
• Developing messaging materials about the college’s programs, support services, and other key information.
• Leading multi-pronged grassroots outreach efforts in the communities surrounding the college, calls to over 26,000 prospective students, and a SMS/text message campaign.

As a result of NSA’s efforts, East LA College realized an 8% growth in enrollment over the previous semester.